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BV  2550 

.T3  1918 

\ 

Taylor, 

S.  Earl  1873- 

The  Chr 

istian  crusade 

for 

world 

democracy 

REQUEST  FOR  INFORMATION 

We  want  to  form  a  Mission  Study  Class  on  the  text  book  "The 
Christian  Crusade  for  World  Democracy"  in  our  church  and  desire  the 
"Suggestions  for  Leaders"  and  other  material  that  will  be  of  help  in  or- 
ganizing and  conducting  it. 

Very  truly  yours, 


Name    

Street  and  Number 

City  or  Town State 

Church   


MISSION  STUDY  ENROLLMENT 


Conference    District    

Name  of  Local  Church Pastor  

Town  or  City State  

We  formed  a  Mission  Study  Class  of Members  on  (date) 

Under  auspices  of  

Address   

Leader  of  Class 

Second  Vice-President  of  the  Epworth  League 

Address   


If  the  class  is  organized  in  the  Epworth  League  please  send  the  above 
request  to  the  Central  Office  of  the  Epworth  League,  740  Rush  Street, 
Chicago,  Illinois. 

If  organized  in  The  Sunday  School  send  to  The  Board  of  Sunday 
Schools,  58  East  Washington  Street,  Chicago,  Illinois. 

If  organized  under  other  auspices  send  to  The  Joint  Centenary  Com- 
mittee, 111  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York. 


"CLEAR  THROUGH  TO  THE  FINISH!" 

America  is  determined  to  see  the  struggle  for  world  democracy  through  to 
complete  success 


The  Christian  Crusade 


FOR 


World  Democracy 


By 

S.  EARL  TAYLOR 

and 

HALFORD  E.  LUGCOGK 


JAN    9   10 


THE  METHODIST  BOOK  CONCERN 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI 


r\ 


Copyright,  1918,  by 
,THE  METHODIST  BOOK  CONCERN 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

Foreword 7 

I.     Making  Democracy  Safe  for  the  World 11 

II.     Christian  Democracy  for  Latin  America 35 

III.  China — The  Open  Door  to  Four  Hundred  Million 

Minds 63 

IV.  The  Leaven  of  Freedom  at  Work  in  India  ....  89 
V.     Flood  Tide  in   the  Destiny  of  Africa 113 

VI.    The  Christian  Mastery  of  the  Pacific 135 

VII.     The  Rebuilding  of  Europe 159 

VIII.     A  World  Program 177 

Questions  for  Study  and  Discussion 195 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

"Clear  Through  to  the  Finish!" frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

The  Promise  of  To-morrow 46 

Some  of  Our  Chinese  Allies  in  France '.  .  68 

Students  of  Peking  University 68 

Village  Preaching  in  India 94 

Islam  on  the  March 123 

Baseball  Follows  the  Flag 149 

Street  Preaching  in  Singapore 149 


MAPS 

PAGE 

1.  The  World  Neighborhood 17 

2.  South  America 37 

3.  Methodist  Responsibility  in  South  America 40 

4.  Literacy  Chart  of  South  America 44 

5.  Panama 50 

6.  Mexico 54 

7.  China 65 

8.  Christian  University  Centers  of  China 73 

9.  Hospital  Map  of  China 83 

10.  Where  the  Millions  are  Moving  Toward  Christi- 

anity  100 

11.  Comparative  Size  of  Africa 117 

12.  Africa 126 

13.  Japan 138 

14.  The  Philippines 146 

15.  Malaysia — The  Melting  Pot  of  Asia 153 

16.  After  the  War — What  ? 167 


FOREWOBD 

Two  men  stood  in  the  Colosseum  at  Rome. 

"Think  of  the  men  who  have  stood  here !"  said  one. 

**  Think  of  the  men  who  irill!"  said  the  other. 

That  is  the  Christian  outlook  in  all  ages.  It  fronts  the 
dawn.    Its  word  of  command  is  "Eyes  Front!" 

The  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  beginning  of 
Methodist  Missions  in  1819  is  not  being  celebrated  by  a  his- 
tory of  the  past,  but  by  a  program  for  the  future.  The  Cente- 
nary World  Program  of  Methodism  is  an  expression  of  the 
only  answer  which  the  Christian  Church  can  make  to  a  world 
at  war — a  vigorous  and  world-wide  extension  of  the  kingdom 
of  God. 

Two  volumes  dealing  with  the  place  of  Christianity  in 
the  world  situation  are  published  as  part  of  the  observance 
of  the  Centenary  of  Methodist  Missions. 

The  present  volume  deals  with  the  relation  of  Christian 
missions  to  world  democracy.  A  companion  volume, 
"Christian  Democracy  for  America,"  considers  the  place  of 
the  church  in  strengthening  the  forces  of  Christian  de- 
mocracy in  our  own  land. 

The  books  are  designed  for  use  in  Mission  Study 
Classes  in  EiDworth  Leagues,  Young  People's  Societies, 
Church  groups,  and  Sunday  Schools,  as  well  as  for  general 
reading. 

Acknowledgment  is  made  to  Miss  Gail  M.  Kennedy  for 
assistance  in  the  collection  of  material. 


This  is  the  end  and  the  beginning  of  an  age.  This  is  something 
far  greater  than  tlie  French  Revohition  or  the  Reformation.  .  .  .  And 
we  live  in  it. 

—H.  O.  Wells,  in  Mr.  Britl'mg  Sees  It  Through. 

Would  that  men  could  see  that  we  are  living  not  only  in  the  crisis 
of  the  greatest  war  that  has  ever  afflicted  mankind,  but  also  in  the 
Advent  of  Revolution,  at  once  material,  moral,  and  spiritual;  wider,  I 
believe,  and  deeper  than  any  which  in  some  thousand  years  has  trans- 
formed civilization  on  earth.  We  are  on  the  eve  of  what  must  prove 
to  be  a  revaluation  of  our  habits  and  thoughts.  Now,  in  a  state  of 
revolution  things  move,  change,  appear,  and  disappear  with  lightning 
velocity.  Things  which  we  imagine  to  be  trifles  suddenly  swell  up  into 
incalculable  forces.  Changes  which  in  normal  times  could  hardly  be 
worked  through  in  generations  spring  up  completed  in  months  or  weeks. 
New  things  which  were  Utopian  dreams  of  yesterday  are  truisms  and 
facts  to-day.  A  state  of  revolution  is  a  social  earthquake,  in  which 
neither  things  nor  persons  remain  what  they  were.     All  are  inverted. 

■ — Frederic  Harrison. 

All  the  world  is  in  the  melting  pot.  Old  things  are  passing  away. 
All  things  may  become  new,  not  as  a  result  of  magic,  not  because  of 
chance,  not  because  of  the  war,  but  because  through  the  Christian 
churches  there  shall  be  sufficient  leadership  to  take  hold  of  these  nations 
of  the  Near  East,  of  all  parts  of  Europe  that  may  need  our  ministry,  as 
well  as  the  Far  East,  Southern  Asia,  Africa,  and  Latin  America,  to  lead 
them  out  into  the  new  and  better  age. 

— John  B.  Matt. 

Trumpeter,  sound  for  the  splendor  of  God  I 
Sound  the  Music  whose  name  is  law. 
Whose  service  is  perfect  freedom  still, 
The  august  order  that  rules  the  stars! 
Bid  the  anarchs  of  night  withdraw. 
Too  long  the  Destroyers  have  worked  their  will. 
Sound  for  the  last,  the  last  of  the  wars ! 
Trumpeter,  rally  us,  rally  us,  rally  us. 
On  to  the  City  of  God. 

— Alfred  Noyes. 


CHAPTER  I 

MAKING  DEMOCRACY  SAFE  FOR  THE  WORLD 

In  tlie  years  of  the  great  war  the  world  has  crossed  a 
new  International  Date  Line.  It  is  impossible  for  anyone 
to  estimate  accurately  the  full  significance  of  the  time  in 
which  he  lives,  but  there  is  a  widespread  unanimity  of  opin- 
ion that  only  one  date  has  surpassed  in  importance  to  man- 
kind these  days  in  which  we  live.  That  date  is  the  shining 
peak  of  time  which  separates  A.  D.  from  B.  C.  In  1910  the 
world 's  missionary  conference  at  Edinburgh  declared,  ' '  The 
next  ten  years  will  in  all  probability  constitute  a  turning 
point  in  human  history."  If  ever  a  prophecy  was  fulfilled 
beyond  the  farthest  dream  of  those  who  made  it,  it  was  that 
one.  For  while  it  would  doubtless  have  proved  true  from 
the  natural  development  of  forces  then  in  sight,  even  had 
there  been  no  war,  the  convulsion  which  has  shaken  civiliza- 
tion to  its  foundations  is  etfecting  changes  so  momentous 
and  has  brought  into  action  forces  so  powerful  that  no  mind 
can  gauge  their  possibilities.  The  future  will  in  all  proba- 
bility look  back  on  these  years,  not  merely  as  a  turning  point 
in  history,  but  as  determining  the  destiny  of  mankind  for 
ages  to  come. 

A  World  Situation 

It  is  not  an  exaggerated  use  of  language  to  say  that  for  \ 
the  first  time  in  history  there  has  developed  a  luorld  sitiia-  ) 
tion.  The  phrase  has  often  been  used  before,  but  until  the 
present  conflict  drew  the  whole  world  into  its  vortex,  no  one 
train  of  events  has  ever  bound  up  the  destinies  of  all  nations 
together.  During  the  early  days  of  the  war  the  question 
was  frequently  asked,  ''What  shall  it  be  called?  By  what 
name  shall  it  be  known  in  history?"  Some,  with  pathetic 
optimism,  proposed  to  call  it  ''The  War  of  1914."    For  a 

11 


12      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

long  time  we  vainly  imagined  it  might  be  called,  ''The 
European  War."  The  question  is  asked  no  longer.  The 
titanic  explosions  of  the  conflict  have  hurst  the  bonds  of 
geography.  It  has  named  itself — "The  World  War."  And 
that  very  name,  "The  World  War,"  is  more  than  a  geo- 
graphical measurement.  It  is  history.  For  it  records  one 
of  the  greatest  results  of  the  war  so  far,  the  discovery  of  the 
world  as  a  ivhole.  It  is  prophecy  as  well.  For  the  conflict 
is  not  only  an  appalling  war  of  the  world,  hut  a  ivar  for  a 
iDorld,  a  new  world.  The  hope  of  mankind  for  that  new 
order  of  life,  is  gathered  up  in  the  words  in  which  President 
Wilson  has  voiced  the  mind  and  heart  of  the  allied  nations — 
' '  The  world  must  be  made  safe  for  democracy. ' ' 

There  are  four  great  aspects  of  the  present  tumultuous 
days  of  conflict  which  have  brought  to  the  Church  of  Christ 
the  largest  opportunity  and  the  gravest  challenge  which  it 
has  ever  faced.  The  first  is  the  agony  and  loss  of  battle, 
which  can  neither  be  conceived  nor  computed,  the  fact  that 
we  are  living  under  the  shadow  of  the  greatest  world  trag- 
edy in  the  historj^  of  mankind.  The  second  is  the  utterly 
new  consciousness  of  the  world  as  a  whole.  The  third  is 
that  the  world,  both  as  a  result  of  the  war  and  of  forces 
which  i^receded  it,  is  in  the  most  plastic  and  formative  state 
it  has  ever  had.  The  fourth  is  the  fact  that  by  far  the  larger 
portion  of  the  human  family  has  set  out  on  a  crusade  for 
the  winning  and  guarding  of  democracy.  These  four  aspects 
of  the  present  world  situation  intermingle  and  overlap  at 
many  points,  but  each  brings  its  distinct  and  overwhelming 
call  to  the  Christian  Church. 

A  Shattered  Civilization 

Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  causes  of  the  war,  or 
its  outcome,  a  world  engaged  in  slaughter  on  an  unpre- 
cedented scale ;  a  world  in  agony,  in  mourning  and  in  ruins 
presents  a  searching  test  to  Christianity.  The  cost  of  the 
conflict  in  suffering,  in  death,  in  destruction,  outruns  the 
power  of  the  fleetest  imagination  to  conceive.    Colossal  and 


MAKING  DEMOCRACY  SAFE  13 

malignant  forces  of  destruction  liave  been  at  work  which 
make  all  former  wars,  even  those  of  Napoleon,  seem  like 
sham  battles.  Two  thirds  of  the  human  race  are  directly- 
involved  in  the  conflict,  and  every  other  human  being  indi- 
rectly. Over  forty-two  million  of  men  are  under  arms,  not- 
withstanding the  losses  already  met  with.  In  no  previous 
war  were  there  more  than  2,000,000  men  lined  up  against 
each  other.  At  the  close  of  1917  more  than  6,000,000  had 
been  killed  in  action ;  1,000,000  men,  women,  and  children  had 
been  brutally  massacred;  3,000,000  had  died  of  starvation; 
6,000,000  were  lying  wounded  in  militarj'  hospitals  and  as 
many  more  were  captives  in  prison.  Unnumbered  thou- 
sands have  been  sent  home  permanently  crippled,  blinded,  or 
deformed.  Think  what  these  figures  mean  when  translated 
into  terms  of  human  heartache!  The  cost  in  money,  the 
large  burden  of  which  future  generations  must  bear,  runs 
into  billions  in  a  way  that  simply  numbs  our  senses  and  con- 
veys little  meaning.  At  the  beginning  of  1918  the  daily  cost 
was  over  $130,000,000.  Three  and  a  half  years  of  war 
brought  an  increase  of  $111,700,000,000  in  the  public  debt  of 
the  twelve  leading  war  nations.  During  the  first  and  cheap- 
est year  of  the  war  the  cost  was  greater  than  all  the  national 
debts  in  the  world  combined.  To  this  must  be  added  things 
which  cannot  be  hinted  at  in  figures  at  all,  the  burdens  of 
future  years,  the  legacies  of  hatred,  and  the  setting-back  of 
many  forces  of  social  progress.  What  message  do  these 
things  spell  out  to  the  disciples  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  I 

Has  Christianity  Failed? 

It  was  but  natural  that  many  should  jump  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  Christianity  had  failed.  That  after  nineteen  cen- 
turies of  Christian  influence,  the  so-called  Christian  nations 
should  be  involved  in  so  terrible  a  carnage  was  for  many  a 
self-sufficient  proof  of  the  failure  of  Christianity.  And,  in- 
deed, let  it  be  confessed  freely,  no  section  of  tlie  Christian 
world  is  entitled  with  easy  comjilacenoy  to  shove  the  entire 
guilt  on  any  other  section.    There  is  in  the  crisis  an  element 


14      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  HEMOCRACY 

of  judgment,  which  must  bow  all  Christendom  in  humility 
and  contrition. 

The  sober  thought  of  men,  however,  has  come  to  see  that 
it  is  a  travesty  to  call  the  forces  which  have  launched  the  war 
Christianity.  It  is  the  distortions  of  and  substitutions  for 
Christianity  which  have  failed  to  insure  a  peaceful  and  se- 
cure world  order — the  crass  materialistic  philosophy  of  life, 
a  rampant  and  aggressive  autocracy  with  an  immoral  theory 
of  the  state  as  above  law,  a  pagan  trust  in  power  and  the  ele- 
vation of  power  as  the  supreme  good  with  the  denial  of  the 
claims  of  human  brotherhood.  When  these  forces  run  their 
course  and  produce  a  world  holocaust,  is  it  the  gospel  of  the 
Son  of  Man  which  has  failed?  There  is  profound  truth  as 
well  as  brilliance  in  Mr.  Chesterton's  word:  ''Christianity 
has  not  been  tried  and  found  wanting.  It  has  been  found 
difficult  and  not  tried."  Everything  else  has  been  tried. 
Commerce  has  been  vaunted  for  a  generation  as  the  saviour 
of  the  world's  peace.  A  writer^  in  1907,  in  a  book  called  The 
New  Internationalism,  stated  that  ''the  dollar  sign  is  rap- 
idly supplanting  the  cross  as  a  factor  in  international 
peace."  That  was  the  kind  of  thing  multitudes  of  people 
were  commencing  to  believe.  We  have  been  witnessing  for 
four  years  the  kind  of  "new  internationalism"  the  dollar 
mark  creates,  in  Belgium  and  France,  Poland  and  Armenia. 
Scientific  progress,  diplomacy,  military  power  and  Western 
civilization  have  all  been  exploited  as  the  guarantee  of  the 
world's  peace  and  plenty — and  they  have  all  gone  up  in 
smoke.  One  thing  has  to-day  found  a  shining  place  in  the 
sun  and  that  is  the  everlasting  truth  that  there  is  none  other 
name  given  in  heaven  or  earth  whereby  men  must  be  saved 
but  Jesus  Christ.  In  clear,  shining  sunlight  such  as  it  has 
never  been  seen  before  during  nineteen  hundred  years,  is 
the  truth  that  nothing  can  save  individuals,  homes,  commu- 
nities and  the  world  except  Christ — Christ  a  living  reality  in 
the  whole  life  of  the  people  throughout  the  world.    "The 


Harold  Bolce. 


MAKING  DEMOCRACY  SAFE  15 

world's  supreme  need  demands  the  release  of  the  world's 
supreme  power  for  righteousness." 

The  Only  Hope  of  Peace 

Men  may  devise  ''Leagues  to  Enforce  Peace"  of  a  hun- 
dred different  varieties,  and  should  devise  them.  But  at  the 
heart  of  it  peace  means  brotherhood,  and  to  say  that  broth- 
erhood has  become  the  superlative  necessity  of  the  world  is 
to  say  that  Christ  is  the  sole  hope  of  the  world  because  none 
other  has  been  found  to  be  a  dynamic  of  brotherhood  among 
mankind. 

The  Church  of  Christ  has  not  come  to  an  hour  of  apol- 
ogy. Above  the  crash  of  the  guns  and  through  them  has 
sounded  the  call  for  aggression,  to  let  loose  in  force  and  di- 
mensions as  never  before  the  only  true  peace-making  power 
on  earth,  the  gospel  of  Christ.  The  United  States  is  com- 
mitted, in  the  words  of  her  President,  to  a  war  to  end  war. 
"We  shall  fight,"  he  says,  "for  a  universal  dominion  of 
right,  by  such  a  consent  of  free  peoples  as  shall  bring  peace 
and  safety  to  all  nations  and  shall  make  the  world  itself  at 
last  free."  SkcJi  a  program  involves  nothing  less  than  the 
evangelization  of  the  world.  Only  religion  can  kill  war,  for 
religion  alone  creates  the  new  heart.  In  the  words  of  Dr. 
Fosdick,  already  become  classic,  "the  missionary  enterprise 
is  the  Christian  campaign  for  international  good  will.  We 
must  see  that  it  is  so  and  handle  it  as  though  it  were  so. 
What  the  nations  through  their  governments  will  slowly 
learn  to  do,  loath  to  leave  old  precedents,  bound  by  the  sec- 
tarian narrowness  of  national  loyalties.  Christians  must  do 
now,  and  do  with  a  lavish  generosity  that  they  have  not  prac- 
ticed hitherto."  ^ 

The  Discovery  of  the  World 

The  earthquake  which  has  shaken  the  world  down  has 
shaken  it  together.    It  may  seem  like  a  paradox  to  say  that 

*  H.  E.  Fosdick,  The  Challenge  of  the  Present  Crisis. 


• 


16      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

out  of  the  bitterest  strife  of  the  ages  has  emerged  the  dis- 
covery that  the  world  is  one,  but  it  is  the  truth.  That  dis- 
covery places  upon  the  Christian  Church  an  inescapable 
responsibility  to  shape  and  accomplish  a  program  for  the 
evangelization  and  emancipation  of  that  united  world. 

Millions  of  men  have  had  in  these  last  few  years  the 
experience  of  Keats : 

"Then  felt  I  like  some  Avatcher  in  the  skies 
When  a  new  planet  swings  into  his  ken." 

The  new  planet  is  our  old  world,  but  it  has  swung  into 
the  consciousness  of  men  as  a  whole  as  never  before. 

It  has  long  been  a  commonplace  that  steam  and  elec- 
tricity have  made  the  world  a  neighborhood,  but  the  war  has 
seized  the  old  commonplace  and  made  it  bewilderingly  vivid. 
The  figure  of  a  neighborhood  is  too  spacious.  The  war  is 
not  so  much  a  neighborhood  quarrel  as  a  fire  in  a  tenement 
house  where  men  are  crowded  together  for  life  or  death.  A 
family  in  a  tenement  house  has  a  highly  substantial  interest 
in  the  question  whether  the  children  across  the  hall  play  with 
matches.  You  cannot  very  well  quarantine  a  fire  in  a  tene- 
ment house.  Nor  can  a  war  in  this  compacted  and  crowded 
home  of  the  human  family  be  quarantined.  The  flames  of 
war  which  started  in  northern  Europe  soon  spread  down  the 
corridors  till  two  thirds  of  the  race  were  involved  in  it. 

Terrible  as  has  been  the  occasion  which  has  brought  the 
world  together,  there  is  a  profound  spiritual  significance  in 
such  vast  portions  of  the  world  uniting  in  effort  and  thought. 
It  raises  the  curtain  on  a  new  era.  On  that  frontier  of  free- 
dom which  stretches  from  the  English  Channel  clear  down 
into  Africa  and  Mesopotamia  over  twenty-five  nations  on 
the  Allied  side  have  answered  ''Here"  to  the  great  roll 
call  of  democracy.  If  ' '  politics  makes  strange  bed-fellows, ' ' 
the  war  has  made  still  stranger  trench-fellows.  The  Gurkha 
from  India  and  the  Arab,  the  Algerian,  and  Hottentot  from 
Central  Africa  have  spilled  their  blood  along  with  the  New 
Zealander,  the  Canadian  and  the  Belgian  in  the  cause  of 


18      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

freedom.  The  American  airman  figlits  with  a  British  gun 
from  a  French  machine.  The  Fiji  Islander  has  gone  over 
the  top  with  his  French  and  American  brothers.  The  Sikh 
from  India  rightly  wears  the  Victoria  Cross  for  high  valor 
along  with  his  English  comrade  in  arms.  Each  in  his  own 
tongue  repeats  that  glorious  watchword  of  France — ' '  They 
shall  not  pass." 

Hunger,  one  of  the  strongest  bonds  that  tie  men  to- 
gether, is  playing  its  part  too,  as  well  as  danger  and  hope, 
in  bringing  this  new  world-consciousness  to  the  forefront. 
We  cannot  be  parochial  in  our  food.  Hunger  is  teaching  the 
world  in  a  stern  and  memorable  way  the  old  truth  that  God 
Almighty  has  made  all  men  of  one  blood  to  live  together 
and  to  eat  together.  The  war  has  given  a  mighty  emphasis  to 
President  Wilson's  words:  ''The  world  no  longer  consists 
of  neighborhoods.  The  whole  is  linked  together  in  a  com- 
mon life  and  interest  such  as  humanity  never  saw  before 
and  the  starting  of  wars  can  never  again  be  a  private  and 
individual  matter  for  nations." 

The  thundering  call  to  the  Christian  Church  is  plain — 
if  the  world  is  one  whole  and  a  scourge  in  it  cannot  be  quar- 
antined, the  cure  for  that  scourge  must  not  he.  No  part  of 
the  world  is  safe  till  all  is  safe.  Democracy  cannot  be  safe 
anywhere  until  it  is  safe  everywhere.  Ignorance  and  dark- 
ness and  vice  and  degradation  can  no  more  be  quarantined 
than  war.  We  cannot  save  the  world  by  homeopathic  por- 
tions of  the  gospel,  here  a  little  and  there  a  little.  A  united 
world  demands  of  a  world  church,  a  world-program. 

A  New  Woeld  at  Birth 

The  plastic  condition  of  a  world  in  ferment,  in  the  melt- 
ing pot  of  revolution  and  change,  presents  a  providential  but 
fleeting  opportunity  to  the  church  to  furnish  a  Christian 
foundation  for  the  new  structure.  The  world  has  never 
stood  still,  and  ever  since  the  days  of  Pentecost  there  has 
been  abundant  opportunity  for  Christian  influence.  But 
never  have  there  been  at  one  time  such  revolutionary  forces 


MAKING  DEMOCRACY  SAFE  19 

of  different  character  at  work  throughout  the  whole  world. 
What  the  character  of  the  new  structure  will  be  no  one  can 
prophesy ;  but  that  it  will  be  new  no  one  can  doubt. 

"The  rudiments  of  Empire  here 
Are  plastic  yet  and  warm. 
The  chaos  of  a  mighty  world 
Is  rounding  into  form." 

''When  God  rubs  out,"  said  Bousset,  "it  is  because  he  is  be- 
ginning to  write. ' '  If  there  ever  was  a  time  in  the  history  of 
the  Christian  Church  when  the  establishment  of  the  world- 
wide kingdom  of  God  should  be  the  dominating  thought  and 
purpose  of  the  united  body  of  Christ,  that  hour  has  just 
dawned  upon  us  in  these  tragic,  pregnant  days.  Every- 
where we  look,  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and  America,  men 
and  nations  are  in  upheaval  and  we  see  conditions  which 
demand  the  concentration  of  the  unifying  and  guiding  forces 
of  Christendom.  If  the  church  as  a  great  missionary  force 
does  not  rise  to  a  great  occasion  now,  it  will  not  be  because 
she  can  ever  hope  to  get  a  bigger  or  a  better  one. 

Not  all  the  changes  of  these  days  are  on  the  credit  side 
of  the  ledger.  Many  are  terrible  liabilities  which  will  be  a 
peril  and  obstacle  to  the  Kingdom  for  j^ears  to  come.  But 
the  very  threatening  of  those  new  evils  is  itself  an  urgent 
call  to  Christian  campaigning. 

Nor  are  all  the  revolutionary  changes,  particularly  in 
the  Far  East  and  Africa  and  South  America,  the  result  of 
the  war.  They  have  been  increasing  in  momentum  for  a 
decade  and  more.  But  they  have  been  vastly  accelerated 
and  increased  by  the  war.  The  revolution  in  Russia,  with 
all  that  it  means  for  good  and  ill,  moved  forward  by  a  leap 
of  a  generation  at  least,  under  the  forcing  process  of  the 
upheaval. 

The  New  Day  in  America  and  England 

In  England  and  America,  what  tokens  of  a  new  world 
are  already  before  our  eyes !    The  passage  by  Congress  of 


20      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

th.e  proliibition  amendment,  called  by  Bishop  Bashf ord  ' '  the 
greatest  piece  of  constructive  legislation  in  American  his- 
tory since  the  amendment  prohibiting  slavery;"  the  rapid 
extension  of  woman  suffrage  in  America  and  the  admission 
of  six  million  women  to  suffrage  in  Great  Britain;  the  new 
status  of  women  industrially  in  both  countries ;  the  progress 
of  collective  effort;  the  wide  extension  of  government  con- 
trol of  industry ;  the  progress  of  industrial  democracy  in  the 
greater  participation  of  labor  in  the  profits  and  direction  of 
industry ;  the  undreamt  of  revelation  of  resources  in  patriot- 
ism, generosity,  and  humanity — all  these  are  indisputable 
signs  of  a  new  day. 

In  Non-Chkistian  Lands 

And  if,  as  Kipling  expresses  it,  taking  "hold  of  the 
wings  of  the  morning,"  we  ''flop  around  the  earth,"  what  do 
we  see?  Not  only  a  new  Europe,  but  also  a  new  Asia,  and  in 
many  respects  a  New  Africa  will  emerge  from  the  war.  In 
India  a  new  national  consciousness  is  awake  and  large  polit- 
ical changes  are  imminent ;  China  is  searching  for  the  ideas 
and  the  men  that  are  to  shape  its  future  destiny ;  Japan  has 
gained  a  new  position  as  a  world-power  and  is  experiencing 
within  its  own  life  great  industrial  changes.  In  the  near 
and  middle  East  the  collapse  of  Islam's  political  power  is 
bringing  far-reaching  changes  in  political  and  economic  life 
of  the  peoples ;  the  Jews  have  won  a  new  freedom  and  have 
been  deeply  stirred  by  the  hope  of  regaining  after  two  thou- 
sand years  an  independent  national  existence  in  their 
ancient  home ;  conservatism  and  prejudice  are  being  broken 
down  through  new  and  wide  contacts ;  non-Christian  nations 
are  in  a  serious  mood,  of  which  dissatisfaction  with  the  tra- 
ditional faiths  of  Asia  and  Africa  is  a  convincing  evidence. 
The  masses  of  plain  people  practically  everywhere  are  mov- 
ing toward  Christ  in  larger  numbers  and  with  greater  mo- 
mentum at  this  present  time  than  at  any  time  within  the  last 
fifty  years.  We  are  learning  from  the  mass  movement  in 
India  and  the  revivals  in  Korea  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as 


MAKING  DEMOCRACY  SAFE  21 

the  Christianizing  of  families,  villages,  and  tribes.  ''There 
is  such  a  thing  as  the  conversion  of  national  aspirations  and 
ideals.  There  is  a  sudden  turning  of  the  vast  streams  of  hu- 
man history.  It  was  seen  in  the  days  of  Constantino,  again 
in  the  days  of  Luther;  again  under  Napoleon.  That  stream 
is  turning  massively,  irresistibly  to-day."  ^ 

Now  OR  Never 

This  vast  shifting  to  new  foundations  is  more  than  op- 
portunity which  Christianity  can  take  or  reject  at  its  will. 
It  is  menace.  The  cause  of  Christ  hangs  in  the  balance.  For 
the  church,  as  far  as  we  are  concerned,  it  is  now  or  never. 
If  once  this  period  of  upheaval  passes,  and  the  new  world 
which  is  now  in  the  making,  builds  itself  upon  foundations 
which  are  as  hostile  or  indifferent  to  Christ  as  were  the 
foundations  of  the  age  which  has  gone  down  in  ruins,  the 
future  of  the  church  in  this  and  the  next  generation  will  be 
an  unutterable  darkness.  Christianity  has  now  her  chance, 
the  great  chance  of  all  her  long  existence.  She  holds  the  key 
to  humanity's  unsolved  jjroblems.  She  is  the  steward  of 
that  which  the  world  supremely  needs.  This  is  no  time  for 
a  Christian  leadership  whose  onl}^  military  command  is,  "As 
you  were !"  The  world  will  never  be  as  it  was.  The  church 
cannot  afford  to  be  as  it  was.  It  must  respond  in  an  ade- 
quate way  to  this  God-given  day. 

The  War  for  Democracy 

The  heart  of  the  urgent  call  to  us  in  the  United  States 
for  world-wide  Christian  advance  lies  in  the  fact  that  we  are 
engaged  in  a  war  for  democracy;  not  merely  for  our  own 
defense,  but  to  make  the  world  safe  for  democracy.  To  that 
sacred  task  we  have  dedicated  our  hearts,  our  money,  our 
lives.  Underlying  all  the  thinking  and  acting  of  individuals 
and  the  nation  must  be  the  winning  of  the  war. 

But  thoughtful  men  have  come  in  increasing  numbers  to 


^  W.  H.  p.  Faunce,  Social  Aspects  of  Foreign  Missions,  p.  64. 


22      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

see  that  we  have  set  our  faces  as  a  nation  to  a  task  which  no 
military  victory,  however  complete,  can  accomplish.  The 
victory  of  arms  which  we  pray  and  believe  that  God  will 
bring  to  the  allied  nations,  will  remove  the  hindrance  to  a 
world  free  for  democracy  which  lies  in  an  aggressive  autoc- 
racy bent  on  conquest.  But  with  that  hindrance  removed, 
no  mass  of  armies  can  bring  into  being  the  inner  mental  and 
moral  and  spiritual  forces  which  must  be  created  if  safe 
democracies  are  to  exist  and  flourish  on  the  earth.  No 
merely  military  victory  can  protect  the  two  thirds  of  the 
world  which  lies  distant  from  the  battlefields  from  its  in- 
ternal weakness  and  disorder.  No  military  victory  can 
foster  the  intelligence  and  moral  character  which  are  the 
foundations  of  democracy.  Only  the  emancipating,  educat- 
ing, and  stabilizing  forces  of  the  Christian  religion  can  do 
that.  The  task  of  the  hour  is  one  task.  In  it  the  two  great 
passions  of  the  human  heart  join  and  fuse — patriotism  and 
religion. 

On  the  patriotic  side  it  is  to  rid  the  world  of  the  menace 
of  the  rampant  despotism  of  Germany  and  her  allies ;  to  free 
democracy  from  the  material  obstacle  of  aggressive  autoc- 
racy. 

On  the  religious  side  it  may  best  be  stated  by  the  re- 
versal of  President  Wilson's  words,  to  make  democracy  safe 
for  the  ivorld;  to  set  at  work  those  forces  of  education,  moral 
control  and  religion  among  the  backward  peoples  of  the 
world  without  which  democracy  is  ' '  a  destruction  walking  at 
noonday." 

The  Patriotic  Task 

Never  must  it  drop  from  the  mind  that  the  cause  of 
Christ  has  an  overwhelming  stake  in  the  winning  of  the 
war.  Some  of  the  fairest  hopes  of  the  kingdom  of  God  are 
bound  up  in  it.  The  true  freedom  of  the  world  cannot  exist 
under  the  rule  of  materialistic  power.  The  kingdom  of  God 
cannot  tolerate  a  world  where  nations  live  by  swagger  and 
threat,  where  the  ambition  and  philosophy  of  a  few  make 


MAKING  DEMOCRACY  SAFE  23 

miserable  all  mankind.  "We  fight  'Ho  vindicate  the  prin- 
ciples of  jDeace  and  justice  in  the  life  of  the  world  as  against 
selfish  and  autocratic  power  .  .  .  for  the  ultimate  peace  of 
the  world  and  for  the  liberation  of  its  peoples,  the  German 
people  included:  for  the  rights  of  nations  great  and  small 
and  the  privilege  of  men  everywhere  to  choose  their  way  of 
life  and  of  obedience. "  ^  <  *  "We  are  fighting  Germany  because 
in  this  war  feudalism  is  making  its  last  stand  against  oncom- 
ing democracy.  We  see  it  now.  It  is  a  war  against  an  old 
spirit,  an  ancient,  outworn  spirit.  It  is  a  war  against  feu- 
dalism— the  right  of  the  castle  on  the  hill  to  rule  the  vil- 
lage beneath."  ^ 

Sadly  as  Christian  men  draw  the  sword,  we  need  be  in 
no  confusion.  We  find  in  the  New  Testament  no  surrender 
of  the  chief  aim  of  all,  the  commonwealth  of  humanity ;  no 
substitution  of  lesser  loyalties  for  justice,  truth,  and  right. 
We  find,  rather,  as  its  climax  a  call  to  arms.  There  is  to  be 
battle,  but  without  hatred  to  human  foe.  There  is  to  be  par- 
ticipation in  the  age-long,  bitter  struggle  against  an  unseen 
foe  that  makes  his  stronghold  in  the  minds  of  men,  inciting 
them  to  war  and  conquest  and  the  lust  of  selfish  power.  To 
such  times  as  ours  comes  the  message  of  Ephesians:  ''Fi- 
nally, my  brethren,  be  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power 
of  his  might.  Put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God,  that  ye  may 
be  able  to  stand  against  the  wiles  of  the  devil.  For  we 
wrestle  not  against  flesh  and  blood,  but  against  principal- 
ities, against  powers,  against  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of 
this  world,  against  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places. 
Wherefore  take  unto  you  the  whole  armor  of  God,  that  ye 
may  be  able  to  withstand  in  the  evil  day,  and  having  done 
all,  to  stand." 

The  nation  has  embarked  on  a  great,  unselfish,  spiritual 
crusade  to  clear  the  pathway  for  God  and  it  follows  its  sons 
across  the  sea  with  prayer. 


'  President  Wilson,  April  2,  1917. 

'  Franklin  K.  Lane,  "Why  We  Are  At  War." 


24      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

Where  are  you  going,  Great-Heart  ? 
"To  cleanse  the  earth  of  noisome  things, 
To  draw  from  life  its  poison-stings. 
To  give  free  play  to  Freedom's  wings." 
Then  God  go  with  you,  Great-Heart  1 

Where  are  you  going,  Great-Heart  ? 
"To  lift  To-day  above  the  Past; 
To  make  To-morrow  sure  and  fast; 
To  nail  God's  colors  to  the  mast." 
Then  God  go  with  you,  Great-Heart  l^ 

The  Missionaky  Task 

To  complete  the  task  of  the  soldier  demands  an  ade- 
quate and  aggressive  pr'ogram  for  the  world-wide  extension 
of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Two  slogans  of  the  third  Liberty  Loan  campaign,  when 
deeply  studied,  make  this  clear.  One  was  ' '  Halt  the  Hun. ' ' 
The  other  was  ''To  make  the  world  a  decent  place  to  live 
in. ' '  The  second  is  the  larger  and  longer  task,  and  without 
its  accomplishment  success  in  the  first  will  be  largely  fruit- 
less. The  Allied  armies,  please  God,  will  "Halt  the  Hun." 
But  nothing  can  make  the  world  "a  decent  place  to  live  in" 
except  the  fundamental  qualities  of  the  spirit  of  Christ. 

The  war  is  essentially  a  war  for  opportunity.  The  over- 
throw of  tyranny  means  that  the  nations  will  be  safe  from 
outside  interference.  But  only  the  extension  of  vital  Chris- 
tianity throughout  the  world  will  ever  mean  that  moral  and 
spiritual  forces  will  be  unchained  which  will  create  the  pos- 
sibility of  world  safety,  save  nations  from  internal  sin,  weak- 
ness, and  disorder,  and  undergird  them  with  purity  and  the 
spirit  of  justice  and  brotherhood. 

We  are  in  this  war  in  behalf  of  the  democracy  of  the 
world.  The  greatest  needs  throughout  this  bleeding  planet 
are,  after  all,  those  which  touch  the  ideals  and  future  of 
humanity.    It  is  the  function  of  the  religion,  the  ethics,  the 


'  Prom  "The  Vision  Splendid,"  by  John  Oxenham.     George  H.  Doran 
Company,  Publishers. 


MAKING  DEMOCRACY  SAFE  25 

power,  the  love  that  was  brought  by  the  Son  of  God  to  make 
the  world  safe  for  anything  worth  while.  Jesus  Christ  alone 
can  save  the  world.  Guns  cannot.  They  leave  but  a  desert 
waste.  The  upbuilding  of  the  world  begins  when  war  has 
spit  its  last  bomb  and  thrust  its  last  bayonet.  Governments 
and  armies  never  attempted  to  accomplish  these  results  ab- 
solutely fundamental  to  the  safety  of  democracy.  There  is 
but  one  institution  in  the  world  that  has  a  program,  the  pur- 
pose of  which  is  to  bring  about  these  tremendous  structural 
changes ;  that  institution  is  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Democracy  Not  Safe  for  the  World  To-day 

The  boon  which  more  than  half  the  world's  a-seeking — 
democracy — is  not  safe  to-daj^  And  after  the  war  two 
thirds  of  the  human  race  in  Asia,  Africa,  half  of  America, 
and  more  than  half  of  Europe  will  be  as  little  prepared  to 
safeguard  democracy  as  they  are  to-day. 

Look  at  this  proposition  a  little  more  closely.  What  is 
necessary  for  the  safety  of  democracy?  What,  after  all,  is 
a  true  democracy?  It  is  more  than  a  republican  form  of 
government  with  the  machinery  of  popular  vote.  Under 
republican  forms  of  government,  Mexico  for  years  was  a 
despotism  ruled  with  a  hand  of  iron.  Still  under  a  repub- 
lican form  it  was  more  closely  anarchy  for  four  recent  years 
than  anything  else.  England^  under  the  form  of  a  mon- 
archy, has  had  one  of  the  freest  democracies  on  earth.  A 
true  democracy  is  more  than  any  form.  It  is  a  moral  and 
spiritual  order  whose  aim  is  the  freedom,  happiness,  and 
welfare  of  the  individual.  James  Russell  Lowell  has  defined 
democracy  in  plain  words  as  that  order  in  which  every  man 
has  a  chance  and  knows  that  he  has  a  chance. 

Three  great  classic  statements  of  the  essence  of  democ- 
racy have  been  made.  One  is  the  watchword  of  the  French 
Revolution — "Liberty,  Equality,  Fraternity."  The  sec- 
ond is  in  the  words  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence — 
"The  right  to  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness." 
The  third  is  in  the  immortal  words  of  Lincoln — "A  govern- 


26      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

ment  of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people."  At 
heart  democracy  is  a  faith,  a  faith  in  a  common  humanity, 
a  belief  that  men  are  essentially  the  same  kind  of  stuff  and 
that  only  by  the  cooperation  of  all,  by  the  recognition  of  all 
as  the  common  partners,  with  equal  dignity  of  membership, 
can  any  progress  worth  the  fighting  for  be  obtained. 

What  Demockacy  Rests  On 

The  foregoing  description  of  democracy  is  not  a  quota- 
tion from  the  New  Testament,  but  it  comes  from  it  neverthe- 
less. It  needs  no  long  argument  to  convince  that  this  order 
of  life  can  never  be  realized  till  it  res4;s  on  the  foundation  of 
the  world's  first  and  greatest  democrat — Jesus  Christ. 

Ask  yourself  what  it  is  that  has  made  democracy  safe 
in  America.  And  when  we  speak  of  our  own  land,  we  speak 
not  as  though  we  had  attained  but  as  though  we  press  on  to 
the  mark  of  our  high  calling.  The  more  ardent  our  patriot- 
ism the  more  ready  we  are  to  see  and  confess  our  imperfec- 
tions of  democracy,  and  the  more  ready  to  strive  to  correct 
them.  The  call  of  the  present  day  is  strong  on  America  to 
free  herself  from  all  undemocratic  blights — its  race  prej- 
udices, class  distinctions,  economic  injustices.  Neverthe- 
less, our  heritage  of  freedom  is  large ;  and  it  is  easy  to  see 
the  forces  which  have  ma'de  it  so. 

The  Chubch 

The  gospel  of  Christ  and  the  church  which  proclaims  it 
are  the  undergirding  of  freedom  in  America.  Other  f ounda- 
/  tion  for  democracy  can  no  man  lay  than  that  which  is  laid 
in  Christ.  It  came  from  him.  That  was  a  fine  and  uncon- 
ventional tribute  to  Christ  paid  by  Decker,  *'The  first  true 
gentlemen  that  ever  breathed."  He  was  also,  as  Lowell 
points  out,  the  first  true  democrat  who  ever  lived.  The 
world  knew  nothing  of  the  rights  of  the  common  man  till 
Christ  brought  to  earth  the  revelation  of  the  infinite  value  of 
every  soul.    The  democracies  of  Greece  and  Rome  were  for 


MAKING  DEMOCRACY  SAFE  27 

the  few,  resting  on  slavery  for  the  many,  and  soon  perished. 
No  one  before  ever  voiced  the  value  and  unspoken  hopes  of 
common  humanity. 

"lie  was  the  first  that  ever  burst 
Into  that  silent  sea." 

The  Bible  has  been  woven  into  the  very  texture  of 
American  life.  '^The  existing  government  of  this  country," 
said  William  H.  Seward,  ''could  never  have  had  existence 
but  for  the  Bible. ' '  The  moral  foundations  of  national  char- 
acter, without  which  no  free  state  can  stand,  have  sprung 
from  Christian  ideals  and  been  sustained  by  them. 

The  Home 

The  home  has  played  an  incalculable  part  in  the  build- 
ing and  safe-guarding  of  free  institutions,  in  America  and 
everywhere  it  has  flourished.  It  is  the  training  school  of 
reverence,  of  sympathy,  of  obedience,  and  self-control,  with- 
out which  on  a  widespread  scale  a  republic  is  a  mockery. 
The  home  as  we  know  it,  with  its  reverence  for  womanhood, 
its  solicitude  for  childhood,  its  ideals,  has  never  appeared 
apart  from  Christianity.  ' '  The  Cotter 's  Saturday  Night, ' ' 
by  Robert  Burns,  is  more  than  a  beautiful  picture  of  a  Chris- 
tian home  in  the  Scotch  Highlands.  It  is  a  profound  piece 
of  political  philosophy: 

"From  scenes  like  these  old  Scotia's  grandeur  springs 
That  makes  her  lov'd  at  home,  rever'd  abroad." 

The  School 

It  is  an  axiom  that  where  the  people  rule  they  must  be 
fitted  to  rule.  Education  or  chaos  is  the  only  alternative  in 
a  democracy.  The  demagogue  or  tyrant  will  rule  the  peo- 
ple who  are  not  educated.  Shipwreck  is  as  sure  as  when 
a  blind  pilot  undertakes  to  steer  a  ship  through  the  rocks. 
Let  the  anarchy  in  Mexico  and  the  collajjse  in  Russia  enforce 
the  truth. 


28      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

Public  Opinion 

Public  opinion  is  king  in  a  true  democracy.  With  no 
widespread  devotion  to  ideals  on  tlie  part  of  the  multitude, 
no  capacity  for  moral  indignation  with  which  the  govern- 
ment must  reckon,  freedom  is  not  sustained.  '  *  Eternal  vigi- 
lance is  the  price  of  liberty. ' ' 

The  Need  of  the  World  to  Be  Fitted  for  Democracy 

How  fares  the  world  in  respect  to  these  essentials  of 
true  democracy?  Over  one  half  of  the  population  of  the 
globe  can  neither  read  nor  write.  By  far  the  largest  por- 
tion of  that  percentage  is  found  in  the  non-Christian  lands. 
Ninety-four  per  cent  of  the  population  of  India  are  illiter- 
ate as  against  7.3  per  cent  in  the  United  States.  In  China 
the  percentage  of  illiterates  is  even  larger.  What  is  the  out- 
look for  true  democracy  there?  What  can  it  be  but  black 
without  speedy  aid  in  education?  In  Latin  America  the 
illiteracy  ranges  from  40  to  80  per  cent;  in  Moslem  lands, 
with  the  exception  of  Turkey,  from  75  to  90  per  cent.  "In 
pagan  Africa,  apart  from  mission  stations,  the  people  do  not 
even  know  that  writing  has  ever  been  invented !" 

Nearly  a  billion  people  have  never  heard  of  Christ — 
almost  two  thirds  of  the  population  of  the  globe.  That 
means  they  stand  entirely  apart  from  the  whole  range  of 
influences  associated  with  Christianity,  the  sense  of  the 
value  of  personality  and  human  rights  which  work  so 
mightily  as  incentives  to  progress. 

A  safe  democracy  will  come  in  these  belated  nations 
when  Christ  comes.  It  will  come  with  the  Great  Democrat, 
not  before.  Up  to  the  present  time  republican  institutions 
have  never  flourished  in  any  land  ivhere  a  free  church  has 
not  preceded  it  to  set  up  standards  of  Christian  living  and 
to  lay  the  foundations  in  Christian  ethics  and  character. 

The  democracy  without  sure  foundations  is  a  menace 
to  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  democracies  of  Russia,  and 
China,  and  Mexico  are  illustrations  of  the  fact  that  the 


MAKING  DEMOCRACY  SAFE  29 

world's  safety  may  be  disturbed  at  any  time  by  internal 
quarrels  in  countries  where  90  per  cent  of  the  population 
are  illiterate. 

Has  the  Church  a  Pkogram? 

Has  the  church  a  program  to  meet  this  world-circling 
and  world-lifting  taskf  No  other  institution  on  earth 
has.  The  Church  of  God  has  both  the  program  and  the 
credentials  for  the  task.  All  that  it  needs  is  to  be  baptized 
into  a  new  sense  of  the  urgency  and  immensity  of  the 
task.  It  is  a  heart-breaking  task,  but  it  began  in  a  heart- 
break on  Calvary,  a  divine  heartbreak  over  the  need  and  sin 
of  the  world. 

The  Christian  program  is  the  same  as  it  has  ever  been 
since  Christ  sent  out  that  first  group  of  disciples  into  Gali- 
lee, i^reaching,  teaching,  and  healing.  It  is  lifting  the 
world's  life  by  those  three  levers.  It  preaches  the  gospel  of 
the  love  of  God,  the  redemptive  power  of  God,  and  the  king- 
dom of  God  as  an  order  of  righteousness,  brotherhood,  and 
service.  In  every  environment  that  message  has  proved  a 
germinating  force  of  righteousness  and  social  progress.  In 
its  schools  of  every  kind  which  belt  the  earth — primary, 
secondary,  and  colleges,  industrial  and  medical  schools — ^it 
has  plowed  up  the  earth  for  the  growth  of  self-realization 
and  self-government.  In  its  hospitals  and  social  healing  of 
every  kind  it  has  set  moving  forces  of  vast  social  trans- 
formation. 

It  has  the  credentials.  The  missionary  of  the  gospel 
has  been  the  carrier  of  the  democratic  ideal  to  the  four 
corners  of  the  earth.  It  was  through  the  missionary  and 
those  who  came  in  his  train  that  those  vague  forces  which 
we  together  call  Western  civilization  were  created. 

The  mainspring  of  human  i)rogress  has  been  for  nine- 
teen hundred  years,  and  is  to-day,  the  Christian  faith. 
"The  moral  dynamic  that  transformed  our  wild  forefathers, 
the  Saxons,  Celts,  and  Scandinavian,  into  civilized  nations 
was  not  science,  then  unborn;  not  politics,  literature  or  art; 


30      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

it  was  Christianity. ' '  ^  And  the  power  that  has  in  the  last 
one  hundred  years  aroused  Asia  and  Africa  and  the  islands 
of  the  Pacific  from  the  sleep  of  centuries  is  not  commercial 
or  governmental  but  Christian.  The  credentials  of  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ  for  a  world-task  are  well  urged  in  the  words 
of  President  Wilson : ' '  The  gospel  of  Christ  is  the  only  force 
in  the  world  that  I  have  ever  heard  of  that  does  actively 
transform  the  life ;  and  the  proof  of  the  transformation  is  to 
be  found  all  over  the  world,  and  is  multiplied  and  repeated 
as  Christianity  gains  fresh  territory  in  the  heathen  world." 

The  Centenaey  Pkogeam  of  Methodism 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  planned  to  cele- 
brate the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  beginning  of 
Methodist  missions  by  the  only  kind  of  a  celebration  that 
would  fit  this  day.  It  has  girded  itself  to  face  adequately 
its  share  of  this  world  task.  In  a  careful  and  thorough  way 
it  has  surveyed  its  world  field  and  estimated  what  it  needs 
for  a  five-year  term  to  attempt  in  a  fair  measure  the 
Christianization  of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  millions  in  the 
non-Christian  world  for  which  it  is  solely  responsible.  It  is 
a  program  of  large  dimensions,  for  a  small  program  in  this 
day  would  be  none  at  all.  It  is  the  most  far-reaching,  the 
most  daring  perhaps,  ever  undertaken  by  any  church.  It 
involves  a  consecration  of  life,  of  prayer,  and  of  money 
which  is  revolutionary.  But  the  church  cannot  stay  as 
a  leader  in  a  revolutionary  world  without  becoming  revolu- 
tionary too.  The  program  calls  for  a  church  on  its  knees, 
and  an  offering  of  hundreds  of  its  best  sons  and  daughters 
for  world-service  and  forty  millions  of  dollars. 

It  is  a  crusade  that  is  God-timed.  Timed,  it  is  true,  in 
days  of  burden  and  stress,  but  timed  to  a  day  when  men  are 
thinking  in  larger  terms  and  there  is  a  moral  sacrificial 
temper  in  the  hearts  of  men  and  a  larger  horizon  to  their 
minds  than  ever  before. 


^  W.  H.  p.  Faunce,  Social  Aspects  of  Foreign  Missions. 


MAKING  DEMOCRACY  SAFE  31 

To  accomplish  this  program  means  nothing  less  than  to 
recover  for  the  church  the  horizon  of  Christ.  If  this  is  not 
done,  the  church  must  sound  a  retreat  at  a  time  when  the 
world  outside  the  church  is  moving  into  a  new  age  and 
drop  back  into  a  place  of  secondary  importance  in  all  that 
pertains  to  constructive  spiritual  leadership.  We  must  "go 
on  or  go  under." 

It  can  be  done.  The  spirit  of  the  church  must  be  mobil- 
ized. The  Christian  spirit  of  adventure  and  of  faith  must 
be  stimulated.  We  are  come  to  the  Kingdom  for  such  a  time 
as  this.  Spirit  is  the  one  really  creative  force  in  the  world. 
Change  the  spirit  of  the  church,  and  all  else  will  follow,  as 
the  fruition  of  an  intense  life. 

We  must  give  the  Christian  emphasis  to  words  that  in 
these  days  have  burned  themselves  into  the  memory  of  every 
American.  "A  supreme  movement  of  history  has  come." 
Our  great  and  loved  church,  born  with  a  world-parish  as  the 
destiny  of  her  message  and  experience,  has  squared  herself 
to  make  her  world-task  her  supreme  business.  "God  help- 
ing her,  she  can  do  no  other.  We  must  all  speak,  act  and 
serve  together. ' ' 


I  honestly  believe  that  no  place  in  all  this  world  needs  the  gospel 
as  South  America. — Robert  E.  Speer. 

Both  the  intellectual  life  and  the  ethical  standards  of  these  coun- 
tries seem  to  be  entirely  divorced  from  religion.  The  absence  of  a  reli- 
gious foundation  for  thought  and  conduct  is  a  grave  misfortune  for 
South  America. — Lord  Bryce. 

We  are  told  that  some  day  we  shall  have  war  with  Mexico.  How 
much  our  own  fault  it  will  be  if  such  a  lamentable  conflict  comes !  What 
Mexico  needs  is  an  invasion  of  schoolteachers  and  social  workers  and 
Christian  preachers,  who  have  caught  the  idea  of  missions  in  their 
international  relationships;  and  if  such  an  invasion  is  not  forthcoming, 
a  military  invasion  may  indeed  be  necessary. — Harry  E.  Fosdick. 

Latin  America  had  a  population  of  15,000,000  a  century  ago ;  to-day 
it  has  about  80,000,000.  Formerly  immigration  was  restricted  to  the 
Latin  race.  With  transportation  facilities  multiplying  and  cheapened, 
and  the  Panama  Canal  open,  these  lands  face  all  the  congested  areas 
in  the  world.  On  the  east  their  doors  open  to  Europe  and  Africa;  on 
the  west,  to  the  millions  of  Asia.  Latin  America  will  have  its  day  in  the 
twentieth  century.  Calderon  predicts  a  population  of  2feO,000,000  by  the 
end  of  the  century.  There  are  many  who  believe  it  can  maintain  a  popu- 
lation of  500,000,000,  or  one  third  the  world's  present  total. — Commission 
I — Conference  on  Christian  Work  in  Laiin  America. 


CHAPTER  II 
CHRISTIAN  DEMOCRACY  FOR  LATIN  AMERICA 

Christopher  Columbus  discovered  South  America  in 
1498.  About  four  hundred  years  later  the  United  States 
began  to  catch  up  with  him. 

The  war  has  moved  this  process  of  rediscovering  South 
America,  which  has  been  going  on  for  many  years,  several 
speeds  forward.  The  war  has  made  lightning  as  well  as 
thunder,  and  as  by  a  vivid  flash  it  has  shown  to  us  far  more 
clearly  than  before  our  neighbors  to  the  south.  New  trade 
relations  have  developed,  many  of  them  by  necessity,  and  a 
new  realization  of  a  unity  of  interest  between  North  and 
South  America  has  been  stimulated.  Large  fruits  of  this 
new  discovery  of  South  America  are  already  manifest  in  the 
political,  commercial,  scientific,  and  the  religious  world.  We 
are  linked  arm  in  arm  with  the  largest  of  the  republics  of 
South  America,  Brazil,  an  ally  in  the  war  for  democracy,  and 
that  new  relationship  has  contributed  to  the  new  interest. 

Latin  America 

Other  causes,  notably  the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal 
and  our  relations  with  Mexico,  have  brought  into  the  mind 
of  the  country  the  larger  area  of  which  South  America  is  a 
part — Latin  America.  It  is  a  good  name  for  citizens  of  the 
United  States  to  learn — ** Latin  America."  It  is  good  for 
our  humility,  for  it  reminds  us  of  what  we  so  easily  forget, 
that  the  United  States  is  not  all  there  is  to  ** America." 
Latin  America  stretches  from  the  Rio  Grande  to  Cape  Horn 
and  includes  Mexico,  Central  America,  Panama,  and  three 
islands  of  the  West  Ifidies.  Widely  diverse  in  respect  to 
progress,  situation,  and  climate  it  has  a  common  background 

35 


36      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

of  language,  tradition,  and  religion  and  similar  racial  stock. 
Its  problems  are  to  a  large  extent  the  same.  It  includes 
twenty  nations,  a  population  of  80,000,000  of  people  and  an 
area  of  almost  8,500,000  square  miles — three  times  the  size 
of  the  United  States.  Eighteen  millions  are  whites,  17,000,- 
000  Indians,  6,000,000  Negroes,  and  of  mixed  white  and 
Indian,  30,000,000.  Of  mixed  white  and  Negro  there  are 
8,000,000,  700,000  mixed  Negro  and  Indian,  and  300,000 
East  Indian,  Japanese,  and  Chinese. 

This  vast  area  presents  to  the  United  States  a  maze  of 
interesting  possibilities  in  politics,  in  trade,  fascinating  to 
think  of  and  plan  for. 

But  to  the  heart  and  conscience  of  the  Protestant 
churches  of  the  United  States  it  presents  more  than  that.  In 
an  hour  when  our  eyes  are  set  on  the  shining  goal  of  a  world 
safe  for  democracy,  it  presents  the  need  of  a  group  of  na- 
tions struggling  against  tremendous  handicaps  in  the  enter- 
prise of  democracy  and  pitifully  lacking  in  many  of  the  fun- 
damental necessities  for  a  safe,  free,  and  permanent  democ- 
racy. It  presents  also  the  momentous  question.  What  shall 
be  the  ideals  which  shall  control  the  life  of  this  vast  section 
of  the  world,  which  unquestionably  will  hold  within  a  cen- 
tury over  250,000,000  people? 

The  Rediscovery  of  South  America 

We  are  learning  in  the  United  States  a  new  set  of 
A  B  C*s.  That  lesson  is  in  the  importance,  present  and 
future,  of  the  A.  B.  C.  countries,  Argentina,  Brazil,  and 
Chile,  the  leading  republics  of  South  America.  When  these 
three  countries  came  together  with  the  United  States  and 
Mexico  in  conference  at  Niagara  Falls  in  an  attempt  to  settle 
our  differences  with  Mexico,  the  conference  failed  to  ac- 
complish that  result.  But  it  was  highly  successful  in  ac- 
complishing something  else,  just  as  important  or  more  so — 
a  new  knowledge  of  South  America  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States,  and  a  new  appreciation  of  the  need  and  possibilities 


LATIN  AMERICA 


37 


SOUTH  AMERICA— THE  CONTINENT  OF  THE  FUTURE 

The  heavy  black  shading  indicates  the  territory  occupied  by  the  Methodist  EpLscopal  Church 
The  white  spaces  show  the  unoccupied  territory  for  which  it  is  responsible.  The  lighter  vertical 
shading  marks  the  countries  in  which  the  Methodist  Church  South  is  at  work. 

of  cooperation  with  her  countries  for  great  purposes  of 
common  interest. 


Reasons  for  Neglect  and  Ignorance  of  South  America 

There  are  many  reasons  for  the  ignorance  of  South 
America  on  the  part  of  people  in  the  United  States,  and  most 


38      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

of  them  are  not  flattering.  A  self-satisfied  complacency  is 
one  of  the  chief  ones.  Vague,  incorrect  ideas  have  found  a 
congenial  soil  in  our  national  hotbed  of  ignorance.  We  have 
taken  Baron  Munchausen  as  one  of  our  leading  authorities 
,on  South  America,  supplemented,  perhaps,  by  O.  Henry  and 
Richard  Harding  Davis.  To  large  numbers  of  people,  South 
America  has  been,  and  unfortunately  is  to-day,  a  land  of 
''fevers  and  revolutions,"  a  suitable  theme  for  comic  opera 
and  exciting  fiction. 

The  American  business  man,  "the  hustler,"  whom  we 
have  raised  into  a  myth  of  efficiency,  has  succeeded  in  get- 
ting only  29  per  cent  of  the  trade  of  Latin  America  largely 
because  he  has  not  taken  the  trouble  to  learn  the  facts  about 
it.  The  trade  of  Latin  America  with  the  rest  of  the  world 
has  been  growing  far  more  rapidly  than  with  the  United 
States.  The  assumption  that  there  was  little  in  South 
America  worth  learning  about  has  been  a  costly  one  and  is 
coming  to  an  abrupt  end  in  the  world  of  trade. 

A  New  Interest 

Many  forces  fortunately  have  conspired  in  the  last  few 
years  to  turn  the  eyes  of  the  United  States  to  South  Amer- 
ica. The  Panama  Canal  has  made  a  new  water  map  of  the 
world  and  brought  the  west  coast  of  South  America  within 
easy  reach.  The  whiz  of  bullets  across  the  Mexican  border 
turned  our  eyes  to  the  South  and  brought  South  America 
within  view,  as  well  as  Mexico.  Real  information  is  begin- 
ning to  filter  through  our  hazy  preconceptions  and  prej- 
udices. Travel  has  increased  between  the  continents.  Vis- 
its of  eminent  statesmen  like  Mr.  Root,  Lord  Bryce,  Mir. 
Roosevelt,  and  scientific  expeditions,  have  had  wide  educa- 
tional value.  Trade  with  South  America  has  increased  and 
expanded  in  many  directions  and  a  new  knowledge  of  the 
commercial  and  agricultural  possibilities  has  quickened  in- 
terest greatly. 

Striking  expressions  of  this  new  interest  abound.    The 


LATIN  AMERICA  39 

Pan-American  Bureau,  housed  in  a  great  building  at  Wash- 
ington, is  a  powerful  organization  under  the  active  support 
of  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  the  presidents  of 
South  American  republics  to  promote  closer  relationship. 
In  1915  two  conferences  of  immense  importance  were  held 
in  Washington.  One  was  a  gathering  of  financiers  repre- 
senting twenty-one  American  republics,  held  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  United  States  government.  The  second  was  a 
Pan-American  Scientific  Congress  which  brought  a  group  of 
visitors  from  Latin  America  more  broadly  representative 
than  any  other  group  ever  assembled  in  America.  More 
deeply  significant  than  either  of  these  was  the  Congress  on 
Christian  work  in  Latin  America  which  was  held  at  Panama 
in  February,  1916.  Four  hundred  and  eighty-one  delegates, 
of  whom  230  were  appointed  by  denominational  mission 
boards  from  practically  all  the  Christian  countries  of  the 
world,  made  up  a  congress  unique  in  the  New  World's  his- 
tory of  missions.  Its  reports  are  the  most  exhaustive  study 
of  the  social,  educational,  and  spiritual  conditions  of  Latin 
America  ever  made.  Its  results  in  closer  cooperation  and 
advance  mark  a  new  epoch  in  the  history  of  missions  in  the 
two  Americas.  The  turning  of  all  these  new  streams  of  in- 
terest toward  South  America  heralds  a  new  day  for  the 
whole  continent. 

The  Magnitude  of  South  America 

To  try  to  convey  any  vivid  idea  of  the  size  of  South 
America  means  a  riot  of  the  imagination.  Kipling  tells 
us  that  '^  there  are  forty  different  ways  of  inditing  tribal 
lays ' '  and  remarks  that ' '  every  single  one  of  them  is  right. ' ' 
There  are  also  forty  different  ways  of  giving  first  aid  to 
the  imagination  in  its  effort  to  consider  the  size  of  South 
America,  and  every  single  one  of  them  is  true.  Have  you 
an  imperial  mind  that  delights  to  "think  in  continents"? 
Then  try  this:  South  America  is  three  times  as  large  as 
China  and  four  times  as  large  as  India,    Brazil  itself,  the 


40      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 


fourth  largest  country  in  the  world,  is  larger  than  the  whole 
of  Europe.  Perhaps  your  own  country's  size  means  more 
to  you.    Then  remember  that  the  whole  United  States  could 

be  put  into  Brazil  and 


X-UMA 

3^    •HuancayoT 
3Jallao  ' 


leave  room  for  four 
States  the  size  of  New 
York.  The  Argentine 
Republic,  which  is  cus- 
tomarily thought  of  as 
about  as  large  as  Penn- 
sylvania or,  to  be  gen- 
erous, as  Pennsylvania 
and  New  York,  could 
hold  all  of  the  United 
States  east  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi plus  the  first 
tier  of  States  west  of  it. 
Perhaps  we  think  more 
clearly  in  terms  of  a 
smaller  area.  Try  a 
' '  little ' '  country  like 
Venezuela.  Texas, 
which  we  think  of  as  an 
empire  in  itself,  would 
go  into  Venezuela  twice, 
leaving  room  for  Ken- 
tucky and  Tennessee. 
We  call  Chile  ''the  shoe- 
string republic, ' '  but  we 
forget  what  a  large  shoe 
it  would  make  a  string 
for !  Narrow,  it  is  true, 
but  long  enough  to  reach  from  New  York  to  San  Francisco 
and  have  enough  left  to  tie  a  knot  with.  Its  area  is  four 
times  that  of  Nebraska, 

South  America  has  larger  areas  unknown  than  any  con- 
tinent, not  excepting  Africa.    In  no  other  continent  could  a 


PORTION  OF  SOUTH  AMERICA  IN  WHICH 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

IS  AT  WORK 

This  includes  the  leading  republics  of  Argentine  and 
Chile  and  a  third  of  the  population  of  the  continent. 


LATIN  AMERICA  41 

hunter  plunge  into  the  wilderness  and  emerge  with  a  whole 
new,  unknown  river  system  as  his  game,  as  Mr.  Roosevelt 
did  in  Brazil  with  the  "River  of  Doubt." 

Wealth 

The  wealth  of  South  America  is  literally  boundless 
Half  the  rubber  of  the  world  comes  from  tropical  America. 
From  Brazil  alone  comes  four  fifths  of  the  world's  coffee 
supply,  and  from  its  diamond  fields  more  gems  than  any 
part  of  the  world  except  South  Africa.  Argentina  alone,  in 
1914,  possessed  over  123,000,000  head  of  live  stock — sheep, 
cattle,  horses,  pigs,  etc.  Chile  produced  in  1913  nitrates  val- 
ued at  $128,000,000.  The  supposedly  barren  wastes  of  Peru 
the  same  year  yielded  1,700,000  tons  of  sugar  cane,  and  from 
its  mines  was  shipped  $10,000,000  worth  of  copper.  Inter- 
national trade  has  grown  from  $2,000,000,000  to  $3,000,000,- 
000  in  the  last  ten  years ;  and  the  Hon.  John  Barrett  predicts 
that  in  the  five  years  following  the  war  it  will  increase  to 
$5,000,000,000. 

The  Future 

When  we  look  toward  the  future,  as  we  cannot  help  look- 
ing, the  natural  resources,  coupled  with  its  comparatively 
small  population,  make  it  clear  that  South  America  will  wit- 
ness as  great  development  in  population,  and  economic  and 
social  transformation,  as  any  other  continent  of  the  world, 
and  very  probably  greater.  It  is  the  last  great  unoccupied 
area  of  the  habitable  world,  except  sections  of  Africa  and 
Malaysia.  The  stream  of  immigration  had  already  set  in 
with  a  strong  current  before  the  war.  In  1913  about  a  mil- 
lion immigrants  landed  in  South  America.  There  are  nearly 
half  a  million  Italians  near  Buenos  Ayres  in  Argentina. 
Most  of  the  emigration  has  been  from  Europe,  but  immi- 
grants are  commencing  to  pour  in  from  China  and  Japan,  a 
movement  of  vast  possibilities.  As  soon  as  the  war  is  over 
streams  of  emigration  from  Europe  will  start  and  deepen. 
While  the  United  States  will  undoubtedly  receive  some  of  it. 


42      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

there  is  no  more  free  land  in  North  America.  South  Amer- 
ica will  claim  and  receive  the  largest  streams  of  immigration 
that  are  going  to  pour  into  any  of  the  Western  world  in  the 
next  two  hundred  years.  There  is  no  other  place  for  hu- 
manity to  go.  One  of  the  most  conservative  estimates  is  that 
of  Lord  Bryce,  who  predicts  that  in  two  hundred  years  the 
poj^ulation  will  be  375,000,000;  while  the  common  estimate 
that  it  will  one  day  maintain  half  a  billion,  or  almost  one 
third  of  the  world 's  present  pojiulation,  is  not  at  all  difficult 
to  accept. 

South  America  is  on  the  threshold  of  a  future  whose 
possibilities  cannot  be  measured.  The  guarantees  of  a 
future  population  and  future  wealth  are  here.  But  here  also 
is  the  certatiny  of  a  materialistic,  agnostic  civilization,  weak 
in  moral  character  and  spiritual  ideals,  unless  the  saving 
force  of  a  free  and  full  gospel  of  Christ  can  be  built  into  the 
life  of  the  continent. 

A  Continent  In  Need 

The  appeal  of  South  America  to  Christian  North  Amer- 
ica is  the  same  appeal  which  comes  from  any  land  without 
the  strong  vitalizing  influences  of  a  free,  living,  spiritual 
Christianity.  But  that  appeal  is  strongly  reenforced  by  two 
considerations.  The  first  is  the  responsibility  which  its 
nearness  and  unity  of  interests  with  North  America  put 
upon  us.  The  second  consideration  is  the  timely  one  of 
the  needs  of  its  democracy,  the  necessity  of  the  varied  influ- 
ences of  a  vital  Protestant  Christianity  if  the  democracies 
of  South  America  are  to  be  the  true  homes  of  freedom  and 
justice. 

It  is  not  presumption  nor  ambition  nor  a  narrow  sectar- 
ianism which  forces  the  Protestant  Church  to  regard  South 
America  as  a  mission  field  and  a  desperately  needy  one. 
The  Roman  Catholic  Church  has  been  in  South  America  for 
four  hundred  years,  and  the  fruits  of  its  stewardship  in  that 
time,  for  the  most  part,  constitute  an  urgent  call  for  a  living 


LATIN  AMERICA  43 

aud  free  Christianity.  Even  in  case  one  should  question  the 
justifiableness  of  sending  missionaries  to  Roman  Catholic 
South  America,  there  are  still  the  millions  of  neglected 
people,  especially  the  Indians,  for  whom  the  church  is  doing 
in  most  cases  nothing  at  all.  It  fails  utterly  to  occupy  vast 
regions. 

But  beyond  that,  South  America  is  not  a  Roman  Cath- 
olic continent  in  any  real  sense.  The  men  in  the  civilized 
and  more  enlightened  centers  have  practically  all  left  the 
Roman  Church  and  are  swinging  in  a  body  to  unbelief.  An- 
other thing  which  must  not  be  forgotten  is  that  the  Roman- 
ism of  South  America  is  not  the  Romanism  of  the  United 
States.  In  that  country  it  is  weighted  down  with  crass  mate- 
rialism and  dense  ignorance;  its  moral  life  is  weak  and  its 
spiritual  witness  faint. 

''No  Plymouth  Rock" 

"South  America  had  no  Mayflower  and  no  Plymouth 
Rock. ' '  This  famous  sentence  is  the  key  to  the  condition  of 
South  America  and  to  much  of  its  history.  The  Europeans 
who  came  first  to  South  America  were  impelled  by  the  spirit 
of  adventure,  the  lust  for  gold,  the  desire  for  conquest.  The 
founders  of  New  England  were  driven  by  a  love  for  liberty, 
the  desire  to  worship  God  after  the  dictates  of  their  own 
conscience.  The  settlers  of  North  America  came  from 
those  countries  of  Northwestern  Europe  where  there  was 
the  greatest  freedom.  They  came  to  set  up  new  homes. 
The  conquerors  of  South  America  were  militarists  from 
the  most  absolute  monarchy  in  western  Europe,  and  came 
bent  on  destroying  and  carrying  away  all  they  could  get 
their  hands  on.  By  giving  proper  place  to  this  difference 
of  purpose  and  ideals  and  racial  stock  we  have  explained 
much  of  the  divergence  between  the  history  of  the  two 
continents. 

We  have  seen  what  are  the  requirements  for  a  safe  and 
free  democracy — universal  education,  a  pure  and  elevated 


44      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 


home  life,  moral  foundations  in  character,  a  strong  public 
opinion,  and  spiritual  ideals.  We  find  in  South  America  a 
continent  in  desperate  need  of  these  great  pillars  of  Democ- 
racy. 

Need  of  Education 

In  few  nations  is  illiteracy  more  pronounced.  The 
following  percentage  of  illiteracy  will  show  the  appalling 
situation  at  a  glance.  In  Argentina  the  percentage  of  illit- 
erates is  50  per  cent;  in  Uruguay,  50  per  cent;  in  Chile,  65 
per  cent ;  in  Paraguay,  90  per  cent ;  in  Colombia,  80  per  cent; 

and  in  Brazil,  70  per 
cent.  This  will  mean 
more  when  we  remem- 
ber that  for  the  United 
States  the  average  is  7.3 
per  cent.  To  remedy 
this  stigma  of  illiteracy 
the  governments  are  do- 
ing very  little,  except  in 
the  higher  branches  of 
education.  The  ele- 
mentary schools  are  the 
least  developed  part  of 
the  educational  system. 
It  should  be  remem- 
bered that  mixed  races, 
such  as  the  white  and 
Indian  or  the  white  and 
Negro,  form  40  per  cent 
of  the  population  of  the 
continent.  The  univer- 
sities and  higher  schools  are  almost  entirely  for  the  intel- 
lectuals or  those  of  pure  white  blood,  of  whom  there  are 
less  than  fifteen  million.  There  are  large  and  well- 
equipped  universities,  in  cities  like  Buenos  Ayres,  under 
state  control  and  a  strongly  marked  leadership  of  highly 


LITERACY  CHART  OF  SOUTH  AMERICA 

The  percentage  of  the  population  of  the  different 
countries  who  can  read  and  write  is  indicated  by  the 
diagonal  shading. 


LATIN  AMERICA  45 

educated  men.  The  universities  are  nonreligious  and  the 
students  and  professors  are  almost  to  a  man  agnostic  or 
openly  infidel. 

Moral  Ideals 

"We  cannot,"  says  Burke,  ''indict  a  whole  people." 
We  cannot  overlook  the  moral  idealism  which  has  been 
active  in  South  America  or  cast  any  slur  on  its  pure,  good 
womanhood.  But  we  cannot  overlook  the  fact  that  countries 
where  from  twenty  to  over  sixty  per  cent  of  the  people  are 
of  illegitimate  birth  are  lands  of  desperate  moral  need. 
From  one  fifth  to  one  sixth  of  the  population  of  Brazil  are 
of  illegitimate  birth;  in  Venezuela  it  is  two  thirds;  in 
Ecuador,  one  half;  in  Chile,  one  third.  Male  chastity  is  al- 
most unknown.  Drink  has  nearly  wiped  out  the  Indians. 
Professor  Edward  A.  Ross  says,  "The  state  has  entered  into 
a  kind  of  partnershij)  with  the  church;  the  former  to  sell 
alcohol  to  the  Indians  (having  a  monopoly  of  its  sale),  and 
the  latter  to  provide  in  her  festivals  the  occasion  for  its  con- 
sumption. ' '  ^  Alcoholism  is  particularly  rife  on  the  west 
coast.  In  Valparaiso,  Chile,  there  is  one  saloon  for  every 
twenty-four  men.  That  city,  with  a  population  of  180,000, 
had  600  more  cases  of  drunkenness  reported  in  one  year 
than  all  London,  with  a  population  of  5,000,000. 

Religious  Needs 

Back  of  moral  needs  is  a  condition  of  spiritual  destitu- 
tion. The  question  of  the  need  of  Protestantism  in  all  Latin 
America  is  not  a  question  of  church  order;  not  at  all  a  his- 
torical question  whether  the  Roman  Church  has  provided 
there  a  true  ministry.  It  is  the  inescapable  conclusion  that 
the  old,  mediaeval  superstitions  of  the  church  life  that  is 
there  are  inadequate  to  furnish  the  moral  and  spiritual 
leadership  needed  to  bring  South  America  out  into  the 
libertv  of  a  new  national  life  in  the  faith  of  Christ.     The 


'•  E.  A.  Ross,  South  of  Panama. 


46      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

Bible  in  South  America  is  an  unknown  book.  The  gospel  of 
a  living  Christ  is  an  unknown  story.  Lord  Bryce  sums  up 
the  moral  conditions  of  South  America  in  the  last  chapter  of 
his  book  in  these  words :'  *  It  is  a  grave  misfortune  that  both 
the  intellectual  life  and  the  ethical  standards  of  conduct 
seem  to  be  entirely  divorced  from  religion,"  At  least  one 
half  of  the  men  of  these  South  American  republics  have 
broken  finally  from  Rome,  The  intellectual  class  has  moved 
almost  in  a  body  into  skepticism  and  agnosticism.  In  a  re- 
cent Y,  M.  C.  A,  canvass  only  four  students  out  of  five  thou- 
sand in  Buenos  Ayres  reported  any  belief  in  God  or  faith  in 
Christianity,  That  condition  is  typical  of  the  universities 
and  educated  classes  everywhere.  Robert  E,  Speer  writes, 
"I  do  not  believe  that  of  the  one  million  people  in  Buenos 
Ayres,  there  are  two  hundred  men  on  any  given  Sunday  at 
service."  Surely,  doubt  and  denial  of  all  faiths,  spreading 
apace  and  unchecked  among  eighty  millions  of  people,  con- 
cern the  entire  Christian  world,  ''Churches  with  modern 
religious  scholarship  and  strong  faith  are  bound  to  offer  in- 
tellectual Latins  the  torch  with  which  to  relight  the  falling 
or  darkened  lamps  of  Christian  belief  and  life. ' ' 

The  Centenary  Program  and  South  America 

Despite  the  heroic  achievements  of  a  small  band  of  mis- 
sionaries in  South  America  and  results  of  large  promise,  it 
has  been  "The  Neglected  Continent"  in  Christian  missions 
as  well  as  in  many  other  ways.  The  total  number  of  or- 
dained foreign  missionaries  in  all  of  South  America  in  1916 
was  only  320.  That  means  one  ordained  clergyman  of  the 
evangelical  churches  for  every  156,250  of  the  population. 
In  America  the  ratio  is  one  to  every  622,  There  are  four 
times  as  many  Protestant  ordained  ministers  in  the  State  of 
Ohio  as  in  all  of  South  America, 

The  Centenary  Program  of  the  Methodist  Church  plans 
to  build,  in  an  adequate  way,  on  the  foundations  already  laid 
to  meet  its  share  of  responsibility  and  opportunity.    The 


LATIN  AMERICA  47 

estimates  do  not  call  for  the  complete  occupation  of  the  fields 
open  to  Methodism.  That  would  involve  staggering 
amounts.  But  they  do  provide  for  a  strategic  advance 
through  the  doors  that  have  been  oj^ened.  The  missions  in 
South  America  have  made  a  fine  beginning,  in  which  exploits 
of  heroism  and  persistence  in  the  face  of  great  obstacles 
have  been  done  which  will  rank  with  the  great  chai)ters  of 
missionary  history.  Methodism  has  to-day  157  missionaries 
and  foreign  workers,  239  native  preachers  and  workers,  and 
152  teachers,  a  membership  of  15,000  and  6,000  unbaptized 
adherents.  There  are  16  educational  institutions  and  over 
2,500  students.  The  church  is  at  work  in  8  of  the  republics 
whose  total  population  is  23,000,000.  The  totals  of  results 
are  not  nearly  so  great  as  the  obstacles  and  distances,  but 
represent  a  remarkable  achievement  in  the  face  of  all  the 
circumstances. 

Establishment  of  Churches 

As  everywhere,  the  great  aims  is  the  establishment 
of  a  self-supporting,  self-propagating  native  church.  The 
method  in  its  essence  is  that  of  the  successful  establishment 
of  Christianity  anywhere,  the  jDroclamation  of  a  "know- 
able  ' '  gospel  by  extensive  itinerating.  It  is  the  old  strategy 
of  the  pioneer  preaching  on  the  frontier  in  the  days  of  the 
saddlebag,  of  John  Wesley  among  the  coal  miners,  of  the 
apostle  Paul  in  Corinth  and  Ephesus.  There  is  a  marked 
evangelical  stir  on  botli  the  east  and  west  coasts.  A  wide- 
spread evangelistic  movement  a]^pears  to  be  approaching  in 
South  America,  and  the  Centenary  Program  provides  for 
the  occupation  of  new  territory  and  the  creation  of  new 
churches.  It  calls  for  such  additions  to  the  missionary 
forces  as  will  make  possible  a  continent-wide  program  of 
church  development.  This  will  require  24  missionary 
preachers  and  84  national  (that  is,  inhabitants  of  South 
America)  preachers;  86  churches  and  chapels  and  31  par- 
sonages and  4  missionary  residences.    The  financial  outlay 


48      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

for  the  staff  and  maintenance  will  be  $588,180 ;  for  property 
about  $1,500,000.  All  the  figures  of  the  Centenary  survey 
cover  a  five-year  period. 

Education 

In  the  case  of  such  crying  need  as  the  illiteracy  of  South 
America  discloses,  educational  work  is  both  large,  immedi- 
ate service  and  the  pathway  to  ultimate  leadership.  To  win 
leadership  in  a  non-Christian  or  belated  Christian  country 
Christian  education  must  be  the  very  center  of  the  move- 
ment. In  the  republics  where  the  Methodist  Church  is  at 
work  illiteracy  averages  almost  75  per  cent.  Unless  there  is 
developed  an  extensive  system  of  education  the  danger  ap- 
pears of  creating  churches  of  illiterates.  The  state  schools 
are  entirely  unqualified  to  produce  moral  leadership  or  fur- 
nish gospel  ministry.  In  large  areas  the  state  schools  do  not 
even  exist.  The  educational  program  looks  out  on  the  need 
in  both  directions — the  need  for  primary  schools  of  ele- 
mentary education  and  higher  training  schools,  universities, 
and  colleges  in  order  to  rear  an  educated  Christian  leader- 
ship with  which  to  stem^  the  tides  of  infidelity  and  immoral- 
ity among  the  educated  classes.  Bishop  Homer  C.  Stuntz 
says  that  the  battle  for  the  conversion  of  South  America, 
within  the  next  hundred  years,  will  be  won  or  lost  in  the  edu- 
cational institutions  that  are  planted  there.  To  engage  in 
this  battle  with  the  stake  of  a  continent  for  Christianity  as 
its  prize,  the  Centenary  Movement  proposes  29  elementary 
schools,  14  high  schools,  3  colleges,  1  agricultural  school,  and 
4  seminary  and  training  schools.  The  staff  required  will  be 
126  missionary  teachers  and  158  national  (South  Amer- 
ican) teachers.  The  total  cost  will  be  about  $1,000,000  for 
staff  and  maintenance  and  about  $2,000,000  for  property. 
In  the  primary  schools  will  be  taught  elementary  industrial 
instruction,  hygiene  and  sanitation,  and  religion,  as  well  as 
the  common  elementary  branches.  The  Mtethodist  Church 
will  cooperate  with  other  denominations  in  a  union  theolog- 
ical seminary  at  Montevideo  in  Uruguay  and  in  two  union 


LATIN  AMERICA  49 

evangelical  universities,  one  for  each  coast.  In  addition  to 
this  direct  service  there  is  now  a  chance  to  impress  the  edu- 
cational movement  in  South  America  with  the  Christian 
point  of  view,  and  to  give  character,  tone,  motive,  and  defi- 
nite ends  to  the  educational  policies  of  all  the  Latin  Amer- 
ican republics. 

Along  with  this  program  of  education  there  is  imme- 
diate need  to  enlarge  the  two  publishing  houses  already  in 
o])eration,  one  on  the  east  and  one  on  the  west  coast,  so 
that  they  can  spread  broadcast  clean  moral  and  religious 
literature.  Much  of  the  general  literature  now  accessible  to 
Latin  America  young  people  is  of  a  nature  so  vile  that  if  a 
man  were  detected  in  an  attempt  to  bring  specimens  of  it 
into  the  United  States  even  as  personal  property,  he  would 
be  arrested  and  punished. 

Medical. 

The  number  of  hospitals  of  the  Methodist  Church  at  the 
present  time  in  the  whole  of  South  America  is  a  tragical 
zero.  And  that  in  a  land  where  the  state  hospitals  are  not 
adequate  to  care  for  ten  per  cent  of  the  people.  South 
America  has  no  hospitals,  no  nurses'  training  school,  nor 
deaconess  home  under  any  mission  board.  Outside  of  such 
progressive  centers  as  Buenos  Ayres,  and  in  countries  less 
advanced  than  Argentina,  the  neglect  of  public  hygiene  is 
appalling.  In  some  sections  smallpox  is  a  continuous  epi- 
demic. In  Chile,  where  there  is  one  of  the  finest  climates  of 
the  world,  the  death  rate  is  twice  as  high  as  that  of  the 
United  States.  Dr.  Speer  calls  Chile  "a  killing  ground  for 
children."  Seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  children  die  before 
reaching  two  years  of  age.  Among  the  neglected  and  pov- 
erty-stricken millions  of  Indians  the  death  rate  of  children  is 
even  higher  than  that. 

The  present  proposal  is  for  the  establishment  of  a  hos- 
pital and  nurses'  training  school  in  the  capital  city  of  five  of 
the  republics,  both  as  a  work  of  mercy  and  evangelizing 
force  of  high  value. 


50      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

Panama 

The  Republic  of  Panama  has  been  included  in  these 
estimates  of  needs  of  South  America.  Panama  is  a  key  to 
the  world  in  the  new  trade  map  and  naval  map  which  the 


PANAMA— THE  CROSS  ROADS  OF  THE  WORLD 

opening  of  the  canal  has  made.  If  the  Church  of  Christ 
should  be  located  ''Where  cross  the  crowded  ways  of  life," 
Panama  is  a  good  place,  for  it  has  become  "the  crossroads 
of  the  nations"  and  will  be  increasingly  so.  In  two  growing 
cosmopolitan  cities,  Panama  and  Colon,  along  what  is  likely 
to  become  the  greatest  commercial  highway  on  the  globe, 


LATIN  AMERICA  .  51 

Methodism  is  already  located  and  must  be  streno^tliened. 
All  of  Panama,  outside  the  Canal  Zone,  with  300,000  Indians, 
mostly  living  in  stark  paganism  with  no  Christian  effort 
directed  toward  them,  has  been  given  to  the  Methodist 
Church  as  its  sole  responsibility,  with  churches  and  schools 
to  be  provided. 

The  Christian  Interpeetation  of  the  Monroe  Doctrine 

* 

The  Monroe  doctrine,  by  which  we  have  said  to  all  the 
world  for  a  century,  ''Keep  hands  off  South  America,"  com- 
mits the  United  States  to  a  peculiar  responsibility  for  it. 
Not  all  the  interpretations  of  that  doctrine  have  been  looked 
on  with  favor  in  South  America.  The  Monroe  doctrine  is 
often  regarded  as  patronage  and  as  the  cover  for  an  undue 
domination  of  South  American  affairs  and  an  affront  to  her 
independence.  What  is  called  ''the  North  American  peril," 
the  danger  of  aggression  from  the  United  States,  has  been 
widely  heralded  and  believed.  A  large  step  in  an  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Monroe  doctrine  which  will  replace  jealousy  and 
suspicion  by  cooperation  is  that  which  Secretary  of  State 
Lansing  gave  at  the  Pan-American  Scientific  Congress  in 
1915  and  which  met  with  a  hearty  support  of  the  South 
American  delegates.  It  is  that  of  a  Pan-Americanism  which 
rallies  around  the  common  standard  of  the  rights  of  hu- 
manity and  the  defense  of  these  rights  as  represented  in  the 
western  hemisphere. 

There  is  a  Christian  interpretation  of  the  Monroe  doc- 
trine which  must  supplement  all  others.  It  is  the  responsi- 
bility of  the  United  States  to  bring  to  South  America  the  liv- 
ing Christ,  who  came  that  all  men  might  have  life,  and  have 
it  more  abundantly,  so  that  in  its  own  way  and  under  its  own 
leadership  that  great  continent  may  develop  the  moral  and 
spiritual  forces  strong  enough  to  guide  and  shape  its  great 
development. 

New  doors  are  opened.  The  long  battle  for  religious 
liberty  is  issuing  in  victory.  Through  the  heroic  efforts  of 
Protestant  missionaries  and  often  under  their  leadership, 


52      CHRIS.TIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

constitutions  have  been  rewritten  granting  religious  liberty 
to  eight  tenths  of  the  people  of  South  America.  Old  tethers 
are  being  worn  away.  Will  the  church  match  the  new  oppor- 
tunity with  new  endeavor? 

Mexico 
A  Giant  Mission-Study  Class 

• 

Probably  the  most  remarkable  mission-study  class  ever 
known  was  that  conducted  in  Mexico  during  four  recent 
years  by  Victoriano  Huerta  and  Pancho  Villa.  If  the  aim 
of  a  mission-study  class  is  to  produce  a  strong  realization 
of  a  country's  need,  that  class  was  an  unusual  success.  The 
revolution  and  anarchy  which  prevailed,  the  raids  of  Villa's 
bandits  across  the  border,  the  imminent  danger  of  war  and 
the  sending  of  costly  military  expeditions  by  the  United 
States,  all  riveted  the  attention  of  the  nation  to  the  glaring 
fact  that  there  was  something  desperately  wrong  in  Mexico. 
This  violent  and  effective  projection  of  Mexico  into  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  United  States  led  to  many  different  con- 
clusions. The  voice  of  the  military  interventionist  was  loud 
in  the  land.  With  eloquent  plirases  about  the  vindication  of 
American  rights,  he  pointed  to  military  conquest  as  the  only 
means  of  quelling  the  disturbances  which  are  a  menace  to 
the  peace  and  interests  of  the  United  States.  Wlien  stripped 
of  its  oratorical  trappings,  however,  this  remedy  is  seen  to 
involve  an  enormous  military  effort  calling  for  millions  of 
men  and  money,  and  a  long  time,  with  the  question  of  the 
complete  subjugation  of  Mexico  doubtful  even  then.  The 
Mexicans  as  a  race  are  proud  and  brave.  They  are  bitterly 
resentful  of  forcible  intervention.  The  vast  extent  of 
Mexico  and  the  deep  mountain  fastnesses  would  make  it  pos- 
sible for  resistance  to  hold  out  indefinitely. 

And  even  if  we  conquered  Mexico,  what  result  would  we 
have?  We  would  either  have  to  annex  it  and  admit  it  as  a 
State  in  the  Union  or  hold  it  as  subject  territory  in  an  im- 
perialistic manner.    Either  alternative  is  revolting.    Fifteen 


LATIN  AMERICA  53 

millions  of  people,  80  per  cent  of  whom  are  illiterate,  unused 
to  democratic  institutions  such  as  ours,  are  not  ready  for 
statehood  and  cannot  conceivably  be  ready  for  a  generation, 
perhaps  for  many.  The  United  States  is  not  ready  for  the 
other  alternative — of  becoming  a  conquering,  imperialistic 
power.  It  would  be  too  dangerous  to  the  safety  of  our  demo- 
cratic institutions  at  home. 

The  Only  Solution  of  ''The  Mexican  Problem" 

Even  when  the  attention  which  the  disturbances  in 
Mexico  drew  to  the  country  had  no  result  except  the  pes- 
simistic and  disgusted  conclusion  that  there  was  "no  hope 
for  order  in  Mexico,"  that  result  has  a  high  value,  for  it 
points  inevitably  to  the  conclusion  that  the  only  salvation  of 
democracy  in  Mexico  is  not  the  application  of  force  on  the 
outside,  but  the  development  of  new  forces  on  the  inside. 
The  United  States  has  realized  that  its  career  is  indissolu- 
bly  bound  together  with  that  of  its  nearest  foreign  terri- 
tory on  the  south.  The  one  great  result  of  our  mixed  prob- 
lems in  Mexico  is  a  growing  realization  that  Mexico  will  be 
a  source  of  ceaseless  anxiety  and  danger  to  the  people  of  the 
United  States  until  the  national  thinking  and  ideals  are 
brought  to  higher  levels.  Democracy  will  never  be  safe  in 
Mexico  either  for  that  country  or  the  United  States  until 
the  forces  which  make  democracy  safe  anywhere  are  brought 
into  action  and  develoi)ed — universal  education,  freedom 
from  economic  slavery,  enlightened  public  opinion,  strong 
moral  character,  and  religious  life.  The  only  solution  of  * 
the  Mexican  problem  is  the  Christian  solution,  an  invasion 
of  Christian  preachers,  teachers,  and  physicians,  the  estab- 
lishment of  churches,  schools,  and  hospitals  that  will  enable 
Mexico  to  start  realizing  her  own  destiny  of  strong  and  en- 
lightened self-government  and  moral  and  spiritual  progress. 
The  United  States  government  in  1917  spent  enough  money 
in  the  patrol  of  the  Mexican  border  on  the  Pershing  expedi- 
tion the  first  six  months  to  build  a  college,  a  hospital,  a 


54      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

cliurcli,  and  a  social  settlement,  all  magnificently  equippeid, 
in  every  town  of  over  4,000  people  in  the  republic  of  Mexico, 
and  to  provide  for  their  maintenance  for  ten  years.  Can 
there  be  any  doubt  that  the  latter  expenditure  would  have 
insured  a  safe  democracy  there,  as  the  military  expedition 
utterly  failed  to  do  ? 

The  Needs  of  Democracy  in  Mexico 

The  strong  searchlight  of  national  interest  which  has 
been  swinging  across  our  southern  border  for  five  years  has 
revealed  the  glaring  handicaps  which  democracy  has  in 
Mexico. 

Illiteracy 

Eighty  per  cent  of  the  population  of  Mexico  is  illiterate. 
Schools  are  few  in  number,  and  even  in  times  of  peace  the 


MEXICO— OUR  NEAREST  NEIGHBOR 

Names  in  Roman  type  indicate  stations  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  those  in  Italics, 
centers  of  the  Methodist  Church  South.  This  map  shows  the  central  and  commanding  position 
the  Methodist  Church  holds  in  Mexico. 

government  has  made  little  effort  to  overcome  illiteracy. 
Among  the  large  percentage  of  the  population  which  is  the 


LATIN  AMERICA  55 

native  aboriginal  stock,  about  forty  per  cent,  education  is 
practically  unknown.  In  a  condition  like  this  it  is  clearly 
evident  that  there  can  be  no  intelligent  public  opinion  to 
make  possible  a  stable  representative  government. 

Slavery 

A  democracy  must  be  free,  and  over  half  of  the  popula- 
tion of  Mexico  is  in  a  state  of  debt  slavery,  or  peonage, 
which  is  little  to  be  distinguished  from  actual  slavery. 
Ninety  per  cent  of  the  land  is  held  by  a  small  fraction  of  the 
population.  The  majority  of  the  population,  both  of  the 
aboriginal  inhabitants,  the  Indians,  and  the  mixed  race  of 
Spanish  and  Indian  stock,  are  peons,  attached  to  the  great 
estates  frequently  a  million  acres  in  extent.  They  have  no 
land  of  their  own  and  are  kept  in  ignorance  and  poverty. 
It  is  the  operation  of  this  system  of  oppression  which  makes 
the  peons  so  habitually  ready  to  join  a  revolutionary  enter- 
prise or  to  become  bandits. 

Religious  Darkness 

Superstition  and  innnorality  are  interwoven  into  the 
very  religious  life  of  the  nation.  The  religious  destitution 
of  the  Indians  is  a  vivid  indication  of  the  spiritual  darkness 
of  Mexico.  For  four  hundred  years  since  their  discovery 
by  white  men  they  have  been  left  without  the  Bible  and  the 
knowledge  of  the  living  Christ.  The  Roman  Catholic 
Church  has  not  only  failed  to  provide  an  open  Bible  and 
the  preaching  of  a  spiritual  Christianity,  but  it  has  been  for 
the  most  part  the  relentless  foe  of  free  thought  and  speech, 
a  free  press  and  free  public  schools.  It  has  been  the  agent 
of  the  rule  of  oppression  and  the  means  of  exploitation  of 
the  people.  For  these  reasons  it  is  losing  its  hold  on  think- 
ing people. 

The  Present  Opportunity 

In  spite  of  the  revolution  and  the  famine  and  disease 
and  destruction  of  missionary  property,  the  opportunity  for 


56      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

Protestant  missionary  success  in  Mexico  was  never  so  bright. 
Revolutionary  conditions  are  gone.  Organized  opposition 
to  the  present  Mexican  government  has  disappeared.  Gen- 
uine elections  have  been  held  and  the  government  is  grad- 
ually coming  into  a  secure  position. 

The  attitude  of  the  present  government  toward  religion 
as  expressed  in  the  new  constitution  has  been  interpreted 
as  uncompromisingly  hostile.  The  constitution  provides  for 
a  complete  separation  of  church  and  state.  Foreign  reli- 
gious leaders,  priests  and  ministers,  are  not  allowed  to  work 
in  the  country.  But  that  provision  is  designed  to  kill  the 
political  influence  of  the  Roman  Church.  It  was  not  in- 
tended to  interfere  with  Protestant  rejigious  work,  and  has 
not  in  any  way  interfered  with  it.  Catholicism  is  in  marked 
disfavor  with  the  present  government  because  of  Roman 
opposition  to  the  revolutionary  party  now  in  power.  The 
Protestant  missionaries  are  not  allowed  to  administer  the 
sacraments,  but  they  have  remained  in  Mexico  and  are  un- 
hindered in  their  work  of  teaching  and  preaching  and  pub- 
lishing. The  courage  and  heroism  of  missionaries  in  stick- 
ing to  their  posts  in  the  time  of  greatest  need  and  danger 
has  created  an  extremely  favorable  disposition  toward 
Protestant  Christianity. 

Never  was  the  response  to  a  vital  Protestant  Christian- 
ity so  large  in  Mexico  as  to-day.  The  weakening  of  the 
power  of  the  priests  and  the  liberalizing  influences  of  the 
revolution  on  religious  thought  have  furthered  a  marked  re- 
sponse to  evangelizing  efforts.  Never  have  such  crowds  at- 
tended Protestant  preaching  services.  In  1917  a  great  re- 
vival in  Mexico  City  resulted  in  the  professed  conversion  of 
nearly  one  thousand  people.  There  is  a  new  eagerness  to 
read  Christian  literature.  The  sale  of  Bibles  has  increased 
over  four  times  in  the  last  few  years.  In  1917  it  was  well 
over  one  hundred  thousand. 

Many  of  the  constitutionalist  generals  and  other  leaders 
are  either  Protestants  or  attendants  on  Protestant  service. 
Mexican  Protestant  Christians  are  hoi)eful  and  active.    The 


LATIN  AMERICA  57 

various  Mission  Boards  working  in  Mexico  have  taken  ad- 
vanced steps  in  cooperation  and  union  activities.  All  these 
are  unmistakable  signs  that  Mexico  is  at  the  threshold  of  a 
new  era  in  religious  development. 

The  Centenary  Response 

The  Centenary  Program  of  Methodism  in  Mexico  plans 
a  response  to  this  enlarged  opportunity.  It  is  not  a  large 
financial  outlay  that  is  called  for.  It  is  in  no  way  adequate 
to  completely  meet  the  responsibility,  and  yet  a  program 
that  is  teeming  with  possibilities. 

Methodism  in  Mexico  is  a  "going  concern."  The  revo- 
lution did  not  stop  it.  There  was  only  one  thing  which  could 
cause  the  superintendent  of  the  mission  for  many  years, 
one  of  the  most-loved  and  trusted  men  in  all  the  country, 
John  Wesley  Butler,  to  leave  Mexico.  That  was  the  sum- 
mons to  another  world,  which  came  in  March,  1918.  Under 
his  leadership  and  helped  by  his  efforts,  Methodism  has 
grown  in  Mexico  to  a  total  of  members  and  adherents  of 
20,000,  with  5,000  students  in  her  schools.  There  is  a  total 
staff  of  21  missionaries,  143  native  preachers  and  workers, 
and  169  teachers.    There  are  64  churches  and  chapels. 

Evangelistic 

Methodism  has  a  sole  responsibility  for  three  of  the  fif- 
teen million  inhabitants  of  Mexico.  Much  damage  has  been 
inflicted  by  the  disturbances  of  the  revolution.  Buildings 
have  been  plundered  and  burned.  Famine,  disease,  and  un- 
certain conditions  have  made  the  work  precarious.  But 
these  losses  are  more  than  compensated  for  by  the  new  re- 
sponse to  evangelistic  efforts  which  characterizes  conditions 
since  the  revolution.  The  largest  public  congregation  in  the 
City  of  Mexico,  Protestant  or  Catholic,  meets  in  the  Meth 
odist  church,  over  a  thousand  people  as  a  rule,  with  mam 
standing.  An  extension  of  direct  preaching  throughout  the 
country  will  produce  large  results.  The  number  of  evan- 
gelists and  pastors  and  local  churches  must  be  increased  in 


58      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

order  to  cover  the  area  allotted  to  Methodism.  Seventy- 
seven  additional  churches,  4  missionaries  and  78  native 
preachers  are  the  eJGficiency  requirements  for  this  need. 

Education 

The  Methodist  schools  in  Mexico  are  few,  but  influen- 
tial out  of  all  proportion  to  their  size  and  numbers.  They 
have  been  a  large  means  of  disarming  prejudice  and  gain- 
ing the  good  will  of  the  people.  With  proper  expansion  they 
will  be  an  increasing  influence.  The  appalling  illiteracy,  the 
absence  of  all  moral  and  religious  education  in  the  govern- 
ment schools,  make  an  irresistible  appeal  for  Christian  edu- 
cation. The  Centenary  Program  calls  for  a  minimum  of  66 
schools,  102  native  teachers,  the  strengthening  of  the  exist- 
ing secondary  schools  and  cooperation  with  other  denomina- 
tions in  two  great  union  educational  enterprises,  a  central 
Christian  university,  and  a  union  theological  seminary  in 
Mexico  City. 

Medical. 

The  conditions  of  war  have  increased  the  need  for  med- 
ical help,  a  need  that  was  already  large.  Abounding  filth 
and  avoidable  disease  spread  throughout  the  country.  Only 
in  the  large  cities  are  there  state  hospitals  and  physicians, 
and  these  are  almost  entirely  for  the  wealthy.  The  one  hos- 
pital and  dispensary  which  the  church  has,  serves  exclusively 
an  area  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  by  four  hundred  miles  con- 
taining a  million  people.  It  is  a  center  of  healing  and  sani- 
tation and  social  betterment.  It  must  be  strengthened  and 
medical  work  expanded. 

The  Rise  or  a  National  Church 

A  day  of  large  promise  for  the  development  of  a  vigor- 
ous Protestant  Christian  Church  of  Mexico  is  here.  Some 
idea  of  the  vitality  of  the  Mexican  Methodist  Church  may  be 
gained  from  the  fact  that  of  the  $200,000  a  year  asked  for 
five  years  for  the  expansion  of  the  work  of  the  church  in 


LATIN  AMERICA  59 

Mexico,  over  one  third  of  the  amount  is  to  be  raised  in  Mex- 
ico itself!  Mexicans  are  taking  new  responsibilities  of 
leadership  and  support.  It  is  not  the  Americanization  of 
Mexico  to  which  we  are  called,  but  to  a  task  better  than  that. 
It  is  to  supply  in  these  shaping  years  the  fertilizing  forces 
of  the  gospel  by  which  a  strong  Mexican  church  and  nation 
may  rise.  The  urgent  call,  in  the  words  of  Bishop  F.  J.  Mc- 
Connell,  is  to  ''take  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  Mexico  to  let 
him  work  out  his  own  plans  for  the  Mexican  people. ' ' 


The  Chinese  Question  is  the  world  question  of  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury.— B.  L.  Putnam  Weale. 

The  crucifixion  was  two  hundred  and  eighty  years  old  before  Chris- 
tianity won  toleration  in  the  Roman  empire.  It  was  one  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  years  after  Luther's  defiance  before  the  permanence  of  the 
Protestant  Reformation  was  assured.  After  the  discovery  of  the  New 
World  one  hundred  and  fifteen  years  elapsed  before  the  first  English 
colony  was  planted  here.  No  one  who  saw  the  beginning  of  these  great, 
slow,  historic  movements  could  grasp  their  full  import  or  witness  their 
culmination.  But  nowadays  world  processes  are  telescoped  and  history 
is  made  at  aviation  speed.  The  exciting  part  of  the  transformation  of 
China  will  take  place  in  our  time.  In  forty  years  there  will  be  tele- 
phones and  moving  picture  shows  and  appendicitis  and  sanitation  and 
baseball  nines  and  bachelor  maids  in  every  one  of  the  thirteen  hundred 
districts  of  the  empire.  The  renaissance  of  a  quarter  of  the  human 
family  is  occurring  before  our  eyes,  and  we  have  only  to  sit  in  the  parquet 
and  watch  the  stage. — Edward  A.  Ross,  The  Changing  Chinese. 


CHAPTER  III 

CHINA— THE  OPEN  DOOR  TO  FOUR  HUNDRED 
MILLION  MINDS 

Communication  Trenches 

A  RECENT  picture  in  the  illustrated  weekly  papers  of  a 
group  of  several  hundred  Chinese  laborers  digging  com- 
munication trenches  behind  the  Allied  lines  in  France  is  a 
vivid  symbol  of  the  position  of  China  in  the  world  to-day. 
Two  forces  of  vast  significance  are  symbolized  in  that  pic- 
ture: the  fact  that  the  ancient  autocracy  of  China  is  lined 
up  with  the  forces  of  democracy  in  the  great  conflict;  and 
also  that  that  great  people,  from  one  fourth  to  one  fifth  of 
the  human  race,  which  for  ages  has  built  around  itself  a  solid 
wall  of  exclusiveness,  is  to-day  building  communication 
trenches  out  to  all  the  world.  The  war  has  extended  and 
quickened  the  transformation  of  China,  a  process  already 
going  on  at  express  speed,  and  a  movement  of  unsurpassed 
importance  in  modern  history. 

The  Awakening  Giant 

To  try  to  picture  the  transformation  which  China  is 
undergoing  puts  a  hard  strain  on  the  dictionary.  Writers 
on  China  in  the  past  fifteen  years  have  ransacked  the  dic- 
tionary for  all  the  words  that  look  like  the  Whirlpool  Raj^ids 
below  Niagara  Falls  and  have  pressed  them  into  service. 
We  have  had  in  rapid  succession  China  in  Convulsion,  the 
Conflict  of  Color,  The  Changing  Chinese,  The  New  Day  in 
China,  The  Uplift,  The  Awakening,  The  Emergency,  The 
Revolution,  China  Inside  Out,  and  China  Upside  Down.  It 
takes  a  whole  conspiracy  of  picturesque  words  to  express 

63 


64      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

what  is  going  on.  It  is  a  political  revolution,  a  moral  ad- 
vance, an  intellectual  renaissance,  a  religious  reformation, 
and  a  nineteenth  century  of  scientific  and  industrial  develop- 
ment all  combined. 

More  than  a  century  ago  that  far  seeing  genius,  Na- 
poleon, said  of  China,  the  memorable  and  oft-quoted  words : 
"Yonder  is  a  sleeping  giant.  Do  not  wake  him."  But  there 
are  more  things  in  heaven  and  earth  than  were  dreamt  of  in 
Napoleon's  philosoi3hy.  The  giant  has  been  awakened, 
startled  bolt  upright,  b}^  forces  in  which  Napoleon  little 
reckoned;  by  another  giant  which  in  Napoleon's  day  was  ly- 
ing asleep  in  the  teakettle — steam ;  by  the  long-distance  flash 
of  the  electric  wire ;  and  last,  but  by  no  means  least,  by  the 
inspiration  of  the  long-distance  reach  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

The  awakening  in  China,  part  of  the  great  transforma- 
tion which  is  making  a  new  era  through  Asia,  can  be  fitly 
compared  only  to  the  Renaissance  in  Europe  in  the  fifteenth 
century  which  was  the  transition  from  the  Middle  Age  to  the 
Modern — a  ''new  birth"  to  a  new  and  larger  life  through 
the  revival  of  learning.  Men  look  back  to  those  days,  the 
"spacious  days"  of  discovery,  of  political  and  religious 
reformation,  of  the  birth  of  modern  science,  as  one  of  the 
greatest  creative  epochs  in  history.  Yet  the  new  awakening 
now  going  on  in  the  Far  East,  and  notably  to-day  in  China, 
surpasses  in  extent,  in  rapidit}"  of  development,  and  perhaps 
even  in  significance,  that  which  took  form  in  Eurojoe  in  the 
fifteenth  century. 

As  we  look  more  closely  at  this  many-sided  revolution 
in  China,  three  large  aspects  of  it  press  upon  our  attention. 
These  aspects  have  been  visible  for  many  years,  but  are 
brought  to  our  minds  with  a  sharpened  intensity  because  of 
the  war  and  its  results.  The  first  consideration  is  that  of  the 
vastness  of  the  awakening.  The  second  is  that  of  the  tremen- 
dous importance  to  the  world  of  what  China  becomes.  The 
third  is  the  solemn  one  of  the  fleeting  character  of  the  Chris- 
tian opportunity. 


CHINA 


65 


The  Vastness  of  China's  Awakening 

Any  vivid  sense  of  the  scale  of  the  changes  already 
accomplished  and  now  going  on  in  China  must  have  for  its 


IBeS      IS«5      1905 

GROWING  METHODISM 


CHINA 

Strategic  centers  in  the  Methodist  occupation  of  China.     Chart  at  the  right  shows  the  de- 
velopment of  membership  and  self-support  of  Methodism  in  China. 


background  a  conception  of  the  size  and  extent  of  China.  A 
population  of  nearly  four  hundred  millions  of  people,  set  in 
one  of  the  most  productive  areas  in  the  world,  one  half  as 


66      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

large  as  the  United  States,  including  Alaska ;  with  coal  and 
iron  resources  as  rich  as  those  of  an}^  land  on  earth ;  a  labor- 
ing class  by  far  the  largest  and  toughest,  the  most  industri- 
ous and  economical  to  be  found  on  the  globe — surely  here  is 
the  stage  and  here  are  the  actors  for  one  of  the  greatest 
dramas  of  history. 

This  background  of  the  mass  of  China  has  far  more 
meaning,  however,  when  we  add  to  it  the  fact  that  since  the 
outbreak  against  foreigners  in  the  Boxer  Revolution  in  1901, 
there  has  developed  in  seventeen  years,  a  reversal  of  national 
feeling,  an  openness  to  Western  influence,  such  as  can  hardly 
be  matched  in  all  history.  The  land  where  once  all  life  had 
crystallized  into  unchangeable  molds  has  suddenly  become 
fluid,  plastic,  seeking  new  molds  from  the  Western  world. 

The  Political  Revolution 

^  The  political  revolution  which  in  1911  overthrew  the 
Manchu  dynasty  and  made  China  a  republic  astounded  the 
world,  and  the  world  has  not  yet  recovered  from  its  amaze- 
ment. Those  who  knew  China  at  all  had  little  idea  that  the 
course  of  democracy  would  run  smooth.  The  six  years  of 
the  republic  have  not  been  smooth  ones.  The  democratic 
idea  is  still  crude.  The  great  essentials  of  a  safe  and  sound 
democracy  are  lacking  and  must  be  supplied.  The  struggle 
for  democracy  is  still  on.  Nevertheless,  the  failure  of  the 
monarchist  movement  under  Yuan  Shih  Kai  and  the  collapse 
of  the  attempt  of  Chang  Hsun  to  restore  the  Manchu  em- 

I  peror  has  shown  that  the  heart  of  China  is  unmistakably  at- 
tached to  democracy  and  to  the  republic. 

A  new  emphasis  to  this  new  political  day  in  China  has 
been  given  by  the  response  of  the  republic  to  the  invitation 
of  the  United  States  to  associate  herself  with  the  stand  taken 
against  the  piratical  submarine  warfare  of  Germany,  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1917.  In  her  affirmative  response  a  far-reaching 
foreign  policy  was  inaugurated  and  China  undoubtedly  won 
for  herself  a  new  place  in  the  world's  esteem.    In  that  re- 


CHINA  67 

sponse  and  in  the  subsequent  declaration  of  war  on  the 
Central  Powers,  August  14,  1917,  "for  the  first  time  since 
treaty  relations  with  the  powers  had  been  established, 
Chinese  diplomatic  action  had  swung  beyond  the  walls  of 
Peking  and  embraced  the* world  within  its  scope."  ^ 

The  New  Patriotism 

Along  with  the  political  revolution,  both  as  cause  and 
effect  of  it,  there  is  in  China  a  national  spirit  of  patriotism, 
absent  ten  years  ago,  but  to-day  a  growing  and  even  a  flam- 
ing force.  A  new  self-consciousness  of  national  weakness 
and  humiliation  over  it  have  generated  a  nationalism  the 
like  of  which  China  has  never  known  before.  There  is  an 
ardent  resolve  that  the  old,  weak  China  must  give  way  to  a 
new,  strong  China,  made  solid  instead  of  loosely  bound  to- 
gether, armed  instead  of  defenseless,  self-supporting  instead 
of  dependent.  The  action  which  is  resulting  from  this  new 
nationalistic  feeling  runs  along  three  main  lines :  the  provi- 
sion of  an  army  and  navy  so  that  China  may  be  able  to  re- 
sist foreign  aggression ;  the  development  of  native  indus- 
tries ;  and  the  movement  for  universal  education.  It  will  be 
readily  seen  that  this  new  patriotism  contains  both  large 
promise  and  peril  to  Christian  influence.  It  affords  a 
splendid  new  foundation  in  national  feeling  on  which  Chris- 
tianity may  build,  but  it  also  holds  the  possibility,  that  un- 
less the  church  can  so  increase  its  effort  during  these 
years  of  opportunity  and  make  itself  Chinese  in  leadership 
and  thought,  the  new  patriotism  may  turn  to  the  native 
faiths  as  being  Chinese,  and  Christianity  may  be  struggling 
under  the  odium  of  being  foreigTi. 

The  Moral,  Reformation 

Perhaps  the  most  astounding  feature  of  China's  awak- 
ing is  the  moral  advance,  strikingly  illustrated  by  the  war  on 

'  B.  L.  Putnam-Weale,  The  Fight  for  the  Republic  in  China,  p.  319. 


68      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

opium  begTin  in  the  edict  of  the  Empress  Dowager  in  1906. 
Thirty  years  ago  the  majority  of  the  people  in  Europe  and 
America  would  have  as  soon  thought  of  gravitation  being 
abolished  as  of  opium-smoking  being  abolished  by  China. 
E.  A.  Ross  calls  the  warfare  on  opium  which  China  con- 
ducted for  ten  years  "the  most  extensive  warfare  on  a  vi- 
cious private  habit  that  the  world  has  ever  known."  ^  It 
sprang  from  a  sense  that  unless  the  people  speedily  re- 
nounced the  vice  that  was  undermining  its  manhood,  there 
was  no  hojDe  for  China  among  the  nations.  It  should  be  re- 
membered that  it  was  the  great  memorial  signed  by  thir- 
teen hundred  and  thirty-three  missionaries  from  seven  coun- 
tries which  drew  forth  the  famous  edict  abolishing  the  opium 
trade,  much  of  the  edict  being  the  very  language  of  the  me- 
morial. The  enforcement  of  the  edict  against  opium  was 
carried  out  strictly  and  strenuously.  Blood  was  shed  and 
millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  property  destroyed  Vol- 
untary Anti-opium  Leagues  were  formed  which  entered  into 
the  fight  in  many  places  with  the  fervor  of  a  religious  cru- 
sade. The  fight  on  the  habit  has  had  unexpected  success,  due 
to  the  rising  spirit  of  patriotism  which  came  to  its  aid.  The 
production  of  opium  in  China  has  been  cut  down  seventy  or 
eighty  per  cent  and  in  the  process  a  new  force  in  China  is 
being  nourished — public  opinion.  Millions  for  the  first  time 
in  their  lives  have  thought,  "What  is  the  public  good?" 
The  war  on  opium  is  only  one  phase  of  the  awakening. 
Other  moral  delinquencies  such  as  the  social  evil  and  official 
dishonesty  have  been  dragged  forth  from  their  intrenched 
positions  and  pilloried. 

Educational  Awakening 

The  educational  awakening  in  China  is  the  real  key  to 
its  future.  It  must  be  examined  in  more  detail  later  in  the 
chapter,  but  its  place  is  central  in  even  the  most  rapid  im- 


'  The  Changing  Chinese,  p.  146. 


-A««o  Photo  by  Olive  Gilbreath 

SOME  OF  OUR  CHINESE  ALLIES  IN  FRANCE 


STUDENTS  OF  PEKING  UNIVERSITY  COMING  FROM  THE  ASBURY 
METHODIST  CHURCH  ON  THE  UNIVERSITY  GROUNDS 


CHINA  69 

pression  of  the  vastness  of  the  "new  birth"  of  the  nation. 
AVith  the  awakening  to  the  need  of  universal  education  as 
the  only  real  preparedness  for  China's  future,  and  the  sub- 
stitution of  modern  education  for  the  ancient  system  in  use 
for  two  thousand  years,  China  has  embarked  on  the  most 
stupendous  educational  task  ever  attempted.  It  involves  the 
provision  of  a  million  schools  to  furnish  instruction  for  the 
children  of  school  age.  Only  two  per  cent  of  the  children  are 
now  being  educated.  Temples  are  being  confiscated  in  many 
cities  to  accommodate  schools  and  colleges.  The  number  of 
modern  government  students  in  Peking  in  the  decade  from 
1905  to  1915  rose  from  300  to  17,000,  and  the  pupils  in  the 
province  surrounding  from  2,000  to  200,000.^  The  new  sys- 
tem when  completed  will  call  for  nearly  a  million  teachers. 
No  one  with  a  living  imagination  can  fail  to  be  deeply  moved 
by  the  spectacle  of  this  great  people  setting  itself  to  the  gi- 
gantic task  by  acquiring  a  knowledge  by  which  it  alone  can 
hope  to  play  in  the  world's  affairs  a  part  commensurate  with 
its  natural  strength. 

The  Religious  Shifting 

Deep  as  these  changes  go,  there  is  one  that  goes  deeper. 
It  is  the  moving  away  from  old  religious  foundations  and 
the  search  for  new  ones.  The  religious  situation  in  China 
is  an  enlargement  by  four  hundred  million  diameters  of 
that  picture  which  has  touched  the  heart  of  the  world, 
''Breaking  Home  Ties."  A  great  people,  more  numerous 
than  all  of  Europe,  with  the  exception  of  Russia,  is  faring 
forth  from  its  ancestral  home  of  beliefs  to  find  a  power 
which  its  old  faiths  have  failed  to  supply.  Through  all 
classes,  government  officials  and  scholars  and  the  illiterate 
masses,  there  is  an  oi)enness  to  Christianity.  In  the  classic 
declaration  of  the  Edinburgh  World  Missionary  Conference 
in  1910,  truer  to-day  than  then — ' '  One  quarter  of  the  human 


'■  Eddy,  The  New  Era  in  Asia,  p.  15. 


70      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

race  is  slipping  from  its  spiritual  moorings.    Surely,  never 
was  richer  freight  derelict  on  the  waters  of  time." 

Importance  to  the  World  of  What  China  Becomes 

Swiftly  and  providentially  we  are  being  led  out  of  the 
laundryman  stage  in  our  thinking  of  China.  It  is  idle  to 
dream  of  a  peace  for  the  world  and  a  democracy  safe  for  the 
world  unless  in  these  formative  years  the  moving  mass  of 
China  settles  firmly  on  the  joolitical,  moral,  and  spiritual 
foundations  which  alone  can  support  a  true  democracy. 
The  population  of  China  doubles  itself  in  about  eighty 
years ;  that  of  the  rest  of  the  world  in  about  a  century.  It 
is  probable  that  by  the  year  2000  it  will  be  close  to  eight 
hundred  million.  With  a  similar  growth  in  Japan,  Malay- 
sia, and  India  this  means  that  the  yellow  races  in  a  century 
or  two  will  rapidly  approach  the  white  race  in  numbers.  It 
is  not  ''yellow  journalists"  or  *'jingos"  who  foresee  that 
unless  this  inevitable  growth  in  numbers  and  power  is  ac- 
companied by  a  moral  and  spiritual  transformation  on  the 
inside  of  China  and  a  truly  Christian  and  unselfish  states- 
manship on  the  part  of  the  powers  dealing  with  her,  we  may 
witness  a  race  war  in  comparison  with  which  the  present 
conflict  will  prove  only  a  skirmish.^  It  is  of  vast  importance 
to  the  world  what  conceptions  of  life  command  the  alle- 
giance and  what  princijDles  govern  the  conduct  of  the  multi- 
tudes of  China.  There  is  a  real  yellow  peril  in  the  East,  not 
the  bugaboo  of  a  war  with  Japan  with  which  conscienceless 
"jingos"  struggle  vainly  to  start  strife,  but  the  possibility 
that  the  new  age  in  China  as  well  as  Japan  may  end  in  mate- 
rialism. Should  China  successfully  reorganize  herself,  and 
become  an  independent  industrialized  state,  given  to  militar- 
ism, factories,  foreign  trade,  and  to  all  the  allurements  of 
an  age  which  has  lost  its  head  in  the  mad  rush  for  wealth 
which  modern  inventions  have  made  possible,  she  may 
become   a   great  materialistic   power   and  her  weight  be 


^  See  Bashford,  China:  An  Interpretation,  p.  457. 


CHINA  71 

thrown  into  the  scale  against  the  forces  making  for  moral 
progress  and  nobler  ideals  in  life,  to  the  infinite  loss  and 
danger  of  the  world. 

The  Fleeting  Christian  Opportunity 

The  Christian  Church  has  in  China  an  opportunity 
boundless  in  every  respect  except  that  of  time.  China  will 
not  always  be  in  her  jDresent  transition.  The  forces  which 
make  for  the  present  popularity  of  Christianity  will  spend 
themselves  by  a  natural  process.  China  sits  to-day  at  the 
feet  of  the  West  in  school.  But  schooldays  will  pass,  in  that 
sense,  and  the  young  giant  will  go  out  from  the  schoolroom 
door,  his  industrial  and  political  lessons  learned.  The 
prominence  of  the  Christian  missionary  as  a  pioneer  of 
Western  culture  will  some  time  have  an  end.  Government 
schools  will  equal,  and  possibly  surpass,  missionary  schools. 
Will  Christianity  in  this  generation  so  redeem  the  time  that 
when  China  has  learned  of  the  West  its  arts,  its  sciences,  its 
industry,  it  shall  also  have  received  its  best  gift,  its  faith, 
and  a  virile  and  expanding  Chinese  Christianity  have  come 
"into  being  adequate  for  the  titanic  task  of  shaping  the  new 
nation!  "A  new  China  is  imi^ossible  without  renewed 
Chinese." 

The  Response  of  Methodism 

In  the  Centenary  Program  for  China  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  has  planned  a  thoroughgoing  and  stra- 
tegic response  to  this  divine  opportunity.  It  is  a  program 
not  based  on  a  guess,  nor  on  vague  hopes.  It  is  based  on  a 
careful  survey,  the  product  of  the  years  of  study,  of  the 
actual  needs  in  men  and  money  covering  a  five-year  period 
for  putting  the  i)resent  work  on  an  efficient  basis  for  the 
Christianizing  of  the  eighty  millions  of  people  for  whom 
the  church  is  exclusively  responsible.  The  program  rests 
on  seventy  years  of  encouraging  history  and  experience. 
In  1847   the  first  missionaries   of  the   Methodist   Church 


72      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

landed  in  Foochow.  After  ten  years  of  intensive  labor  the 
first  converts,  thirteen  adults,  were  baptized.  In  sixty  years 
that  small  company  has  grown  to  a  Chinese  church  of  65,900 
members,  7,309  unbaptized  adherents,  and  a  strong  native 
leadership  of  3,000  preachers.  The  church  won  a  place  of 
educational  leadership  with  21,000  students  in  600  primary 
schools,  12  secondary  schools,  and  5  universities.  Its  11  hos- 
pitals and  2  dispensaries,  though  understaffed  and  almost 
without  nurses,  have  performed  miracles  of  healing  and 
opened  doors  more  impregnable  than  the  great  wall  of  the 
northern  kingdom. 

The  call  for  advance  is  along  these  three  lines  of  provi- 
dential success.  The  estimates  express  the  call  to  Christian 
America  to  help  make  democracy  safe  for  China ;  to  see  our 
struggle  to  admit  the  world  to  democracy  clear  "through 
to  the  finish"  and  to  help  rear  in  China  those  pillars  without 
which  any  democracy  must  crash  to  the  ground — education, 
moral  character,  and  religious  ideals.  China  has  wakened 
up,  it  is  true.  But  "it  is  one  thing  to  wake  up.  It  is  another 
thing  to  get  up."  China  will  never  "get  up"  until  that  gos- 
pel, which  is  not  in  word  but  in  power,  comes  to  its  strug- 
gling democracy  and  bids  it  with  a  divine  potency,  "In  the 
name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  rise  up  and  walk ! ' ' 

Let  us  look  at  this  Centenary  Program  for  China  in 
education,  in  that  broad  proclamation  of  a  rounded  gosj^el 
which  may  be  called  evangelism,  and  in  medical  ivork. 

China's  Need  for  Education 

"The  fight  for  the  republic  in  China"  will  be  in  the 
schoolroom.  A  safe  democracy  in  a  nation  where  illiteracy 
averages  95  per  cent  of  the  population  as  it  does  in  China, 
and  where  only  two  per  cent  of  the  children  are  in  school  is 
unthinkable.  It  is  unthinkable  to  the  leaders  in  China  them- 
selves, and  the  government,  seeing  the  utter  hopelessness  of 
a  strong  China  without  widespread  education,  has  inaugu- 
rated a  movement  for  education  without  parallel. 


CHINA 


73 


The  kej'  to  the  Christian  opportunity  in  China  is  to  be 
found  in  the  old  ruined  examination  halls  in  Peking  and 
other  capitals  of  provinces,  where  examinations  under  the 


•■CHINA'S  ONLY  HOPE" 

Ptratcpio  Christian  Educational  Centers.     Union  Universities  arc  located  at  Peking,  Foochow, 
Nanking,  and  C  hengtu.    Each  of  these  universities  is  fed  by  secondary  schools  in  outljing  districts. 


ancient  system  of  education  were  held.  Over  thousands  of 
these  halls  reeds  and  vines  are  growing.  Since  the  edict  of 
1905  abolishing  the  old  system  of  education  and  substitut- 
ing modern  methods  of  instruction  these  halls  are  crumbling 
into  dust.  And  ''with  them  has  crumbled,  not  only  a  kind  of 
examination  but  an  attitude  toward  life,  a  system  of  values, 


74      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

a  standard  of  character.  The  passing  of  China's  old  edu- 
cation is  the  transformation  of  her  life.  Now  the  student 
who  would  win  governmental  positions  must  answer  ques- 
tions in  European  history,  in  economics,  in  social  science; 
and  the  old  Chinese  officials,  with  their  huge  goggles,  their 
embroidered  coats,  their  clinging  to  the  far  past,  have  gone 
into  hiding,  never  to  emerge."  ^ 

These  crumbling  halls  are  the  symbol  of  present  Chris- 
tianity in  China,  not  only  in  that  they  witness  to  the  eager 
open-mindedness  of  China,  but  also  because  they  witness  to 
the  age-long  veneration  of  the  scholar  in  China.  China  is 
literally  a  nation  of  scholar  worshipers.  Hence  for  Chris- 
tianity to  win  the  educated  classes  through  its  colleges  will 
give  it  an  ascendency  over  the  masses  to  a  degree  not  to  be 
matched  in  any  other  land.  And  when  we  add  to  that  the 
fact  that  the  educated  classes,  the  literati,  are  approachable 
to  a  measure  unknown  fifteen,  or  even  ten,  years  ago,  the 
opportunity  of  a  strategic  Christian  victory  through  educa- 
tional leadership  is  a  large  one. 

Democracy's  Need  of  Christian  Education 

China 's  need  for  Christian  education  is,  in  biblical  lan- 
guage, ''much  every  way."  We  have  seen  that  the  only 
hope  of  her  democratic  experiment  is  in  education.  The 
government  is  powerless  both  to  provide  all  she  needs  and 
the  kind  she  needs.  Not  for  a  hundred  years  to  come  can 
the  government  in  China  care  for  the  education  of  its  own 
children.  Even  if  it  were  to  gather  into  schools  as  large  a 
percentage  of  the  population  as  attends  school  in  Japan,  it 
would  need  to  provide  buildings  and  teachers  for  forty  mil- 
lions of  pupils. 

The  fertilizing  truth  of  the  gospel  brought  democracy 
to  China,  and  Christianity  must  see  it  through.  A  half  cen- 
tury or  more  of  silent  and  ceaseless  publication  of  the  reli- 


'W.  H.  P.  Faunce,  Social  Aspects  of  Foreign  Missions,  p.  73, 


CHINA  75 

gious  and  economic  truths  of  the  gospel  in  a  very  real  way 
laid  the  mine  whose  explosion  the  world  saw  when  the 
Manchus  were  driven  out.  In  the  words  of  the  President 
of  China,  Li  Yuan  Hung,  ''China  would  not  be  aroused  to- 
day as  it  is  were  it  not  for  the  missionaries."  A  large  num- 
ber of  the  leaders  of  the  new  republic  were  educated  in  mis- 
sion schools.  But  the  testing  of  that  democracy  has  only  be- 
gun. Christian  education  must  furnish  the  leaders  needed, 
unselfish,  true  leaders.  A  live  and  intelligent  public  opinion 
has  begun  to  be  created,  but  it  needs  nurture  and  the  devel- 
opment of  conscience  in  the  individual.  Patriotism,  newly 
born,  must  be  stimulated  and  purged  of  selfishness. 

Industrial,  Education 

Democracy  cannot  survive  unless  it  is  solvent.  China 
must  be  self-suj^porting  if  she  is  to  be  free.  She  needs  tech- 
nical education  in  order  to  develop  her  abundant  national  re- 
sources, raise  the  standards  of  living,  and  wipe  out  her  curse 
of  poverty.  It  is  part  of  the  task  of  Christianity  to  provide 
training  in  scientific  agriculture,  forestry,  and  technical 
branches  of  all  kinds  so  that  China  may  be  able  to  throw 
sure  economic  foundations  under  her  democracy. 

Moral  and  Religious  Foundation  of  Character 

Here  is  the  real  problem  of  education  for  democracy, 
the  formation  of  character.  It  is  a  problem  before  which 
China,  resting  only  on  her  ancient  faiths,  is  helpless.  Con- 
fucianism has  furnished  a  great  moral  restraint  to  the  peo- 
ple of  China  in  its  high  ethical  teaching,  but  the  religions  of 
China  have  proved  utterly  inadequate  to  save  the  people  by 
producing  sustained  and  progressive  moral  character.  The 
widespread  corruption  of  officials,  of  the  new  as  well  as  of 
the  old,  is  to-day  one  of  the  chief  obstacles  to  progress  in 
China.  It  is  an  obstacle  which  will  never  be  solved  without 
a  new  moral  and  religious  dynamic.     There  has  come  a 


76      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

strong  recognition  by  thoughtful  Chinese  that  without  some 
power  which  can  create  and  strengthen  character  there  is 
little  hope  of  their  dreams  for  their  country  being  realized. 
As  Yuan  Shih  Kai  confessed  to  John  R.  Mott,  ' '  Confucian- 
ism has  ethical  ideals  but  lacks  the  power  to  make  them 
effective."  It  cannot  block  natural  inclinations  and  wrest 
lives  from  the  grip  of  appetite  and  passion  without  the  doc- 
trine of  responsibility  to  God.  More  than  that,  with  the 
breakdown  of  Confucianism  and  the  swing  away  from  the 
moral  influence  it  had,  on  the  part  of  the  educated  classes, 
the  most  important  question  China  must  answer  is, ' '  Whence 
shall  come  the  morality  of  to-morrow  so  deeply  needed?" 
Christianity  must  help  her  find  the  only  sufficient  answer. 

The  Favoring  Conditions  for  Christian  Education 

The  Methodist  Centenary  Program  for  education  in 
China  comes  at  a  time  when  conditions  have  made  a  su- 
premely favorable  opportunity. 

A  Welcome  to  Christian  Schools 

China  offers  a  welcome  to  Christian  education  such  as 
is  met  with  in  no  other  non-Christian  nation.  Communities 
everywhere  are  calling  and  frequently  in  vain  for  Christian 
schools.  The  Chinese  are  ready  to  make  liberal  subscrip- 
tions for  land  and  buildings.  The  missionary  school  has  a 
wide  i^restige  from  the  fact  the  missionary  has  aggressively 
pioneered  many  reform  movements.  Missionary  schools 
were  the  first  modern  schools  and  are  still  the  best.  The 
missionary  introduced  Western  medicine.  He  has  intro- 
duced new  trees  and  crops ;  has  been  prominent  in  famine  re- 
lief and  in  other  ways  has  been  the  pioneer  of  Western  cul- 
ture. All  this  has  brought  to  Christian  education  an  en- 
thusiastic welcome.  The  return  by  the  United  States  to 
China  of  $50,000,000  after  the  Boxer  indemnity  was  paid, 
and  its  use  by  China  for  educating  leaders  in  the  United 


CHINA  77 

States,  has  won  for  the  American  missionary  school  in 
China  an  increased  regard. 

Open-Mindedness  of  Educated  Classes 

The  receptiveness  of  the  literati,  or  educated  classes,  is 
one  of  the  outstanding  features  of  the  changed  attitude  of 
China.  In  1896  John  R.  Mott  called  the  literati  of  China 
"the  Gibraltar  of  the  non-Christian  student  world."  A 
leading  missionary  to  China  stated  that  he  would  have  felt 
well  repaid  if  he  could  have  been  the  means  of  the  conver- 
sion of  one  of  these  officials  or  literati  in  his  lifetime.^  A 
striking  evidence  of  this  new  approachability  was  furnished 
by  the  meetings  for  the  educated  classes  conducted  by  Dr. 
John  E.  Mott  and  Sherwood  Eddy  in  1914  and  by  Mr.  Eddy 
in  1915.  In  every  center  visited  the  largest  halls  available 
were  filled  with  audiences  drawn  from  the  educated  classes. 
The  government  and  educational  authorities  in  many  cases 
gave  their  cordial  support.  Public  buildings  were  given  for 
the  meetings  and  holidays  declared  in  colleges  in  order  that 
students  might  attend.  In  1915  in  twelve  cities  121,000  of 
these  officials,  literati,  and  business  men  attended  these  evan- 
gelistic meetings,  12,000  of  them  signed  Bible  study  pledges, 
and  7,000  are  actually  enrolled  in  Bible  classes  and  making 
a  sincere  study  of  Christianity. 

Influence  of  Graduates 

Christians  occupy  a  place  of  influence  in  the  new  China 
out  of  all  proportion  to  their  numbers.  Many  of  the  lead- 
ers of  the  reform  party  at  Nanking,  Peking  and  in  the  prov- 
inces, including  Sun  Yat  Sen,  are  products  of  mission 
schools.  Two  thirds  of  China's  first  constitutional  congress 
were  graduates  of  mission  schools.  These  fruits  of  Chris-  y 
tian  education  have  vastly  increased  the  favorable  disposi- 
tion of  the  new  China  toward  the  missionary  schools  and 


'  Eddy,  The  New  Bra  in  Asia,  p.  115. 


78      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR -DEMOCRACY 

colleges.  It  should  not  escape  our  notice,  in  passing,  what 
a  remarkable  tribute  this  prominence  of  mission  school 
graduates  is  to  the  efficiency  of  education  as  a  force  for 
Christian  influence. 

The  Centenaey  Educational,  Program 

primary  and  secondary  schools 

The  Methodist  Church  is  exclusively  responsible  for 
16,000,000  boys  and  girls  of  school  age — a  part  of  China's 
60,000,000  children  who  never  receive  a  day's  schooling. 
Methodism,  according  to  Bishop  Bashford,  who  has  spent 
fourteen  years  in  China,  could  plant  primary  schools  for  a 
million  pupils  this  year,  in  her  own  territory,  if  the  teachers 
and  means  could  be  provided.  Schools  of  all  grades  are 
crowded  to  the  doors  and  hundreds  of  applicants  are  turned 
away  annually.  The  survey  of  efficiency  requirements  for 
China  calls  for  328  primary  schools,  with  enough  missionary 
and  native  teachers  to  direct  them.  These  primary  schools 
are  needed  for  a  twofold  purpose,  as  feeders  to  the  higher 
schools  and  for  creating  universal  literacy  in  the  church. 
At  present  from  one  half  to  two  thirds  of  the  converts  are 
illiterate.  The  same  aims  determine  the  need  of  secondary 
schools.  The  advance  program  calls  for  21  secondary 
schools,  designed  especially  for  securing  an  educated  mem- 
bership. The  aim  is  to  fit  students  for  life  as  well  as  prepare^ 
them  for  higher  schools;  and  agriculture,  chicken-raising, 
weaving,  silk  culture,  and  mechanical  training  are  taught. 

UNIVERSITIES 

Methodism  has  located,  by  a  wise  statesmanship,  uni- 
versities in  five  strategic  centers,  with  a  system  of  tributary 
schools  around  each.  In  Peking,  Chengtu,  Nanking,  and 
Foochow  Methodism  cooperates  in  union  university  centers. 
Nanchang  is  to  be  the  denominational  university  center  in 
the  unmeasurably  rich  province  of  Kiangsi.  This  states- 
manlike cooperation  in  educational  work  in  China  is  one  of 


CHINA  79 

the  finest  fruits  of  Christianity  on  the  mission  field.  It  has 
added  to  the  efficiency  and  prestige  of  Christianity  and  holds 
large  promise  for  the  future.  At  Peking  the  church  is  united 
with  other  missions,  building  on  what  was  the  former  Meth- 
odist campus,  a  university  in  the  national  capital,  the  radiat- 
ing center  of  political  life.  There  young  men  trained  in  a 
Christian  university  are  put  in  the  very  center  of  the  na- 
tion's life.  At  Foochow,  the  center  of  the  largest  Methodist 
constituency  of  China,  the  church  is  cooperating  in  another 
Union  University  with  six  denominations.  At  Nanking  is 
located  the  third  Union  University.  It  is  the  ancient  cap- 
ital and  the  center  of  the  political  and  educational  life  of  the 
lower  Yangtze  valley.  Four  other  denominations  cooperate 
with  the  Methodist  Church.  At  Chengtu,  the  center  of  West 
China,  is  the  West  China  Union  University,  a  triumph  of 
church  federation,  with  seven  denominations  cooperating. 
A  few  years  ago  large  plans  were  made  for  this  university 
involving  sixty  buildings  to  be  erected  on  the  campus.  To- 
day thirty  of  these  buildings  are  either  erected  or  are  pro- 
vided for. 

The  magnitude  of  this  university  task  may  be  estimated 
from  the  fact  that  there  are  1,000,000  teachers  to  be  trained 
for  China's  60,000,000  illiterate  children.  The  high  strat- 
egy of  it  may  be  seen  in  the  fact  that  80  per  cent  of  students 
desiring  education  above  high  school  must  come  to  mission- 
ary institutions.  The  Christian  Church  is  thus  educating 
the  men  who  in  five  to  ten  years  will  give  direction  to  the 
government  system  of  education.  One  of  the  largest  fields 
of  influence  for  these  universities  is  that  they  set  up  stand- 
ards of  education  which  may  become  models  for  the  gov- 
ernment school  system  which  is  at  the  present  time  taking 
definite  shape. 

To  put  this  educational  undertaking  on  an  efficient  basis 
calls  for  65  missionary  teachers  and  973  native  teachers. 
For  property  and  equipment,  there  will  be  needed  in  the  next 
five  years,  in  addition  to  present  income,  $1,879,007;  for 
maintenance,  $1,131,978;  and  for  endowment,  $1,806,667, 


80      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

making  a  total  of  $4,817,652.  Plainly,  this  is  a  small  price 
to  pay  for  buying  up  an  opportunity  that  will  never  come 
again. 

The  Evangelistic  Progeam 

''What  therefore  God  hath  joined  together,  let  not  man 
put  asunder."  Education  and  the  direct  proclamation  of 
the  gospel  are  parts  of  one  Christian  task  in  every  land.  In 
the  evangelistic  program  are  grouped  the  direct  work  of  the 
church  in  preaching  and  social  service.  The  call  for  advance 
is  based  on  a  thrilling  history  of  evangelistic  success  and  a 
marvelous  oj^portunity.  Three  thousand  native  preachers 
and  a  membership  and  adherents  totalipg  75,000  make  up 
a  native  church  of  genuine  strength.  The  temper  of  the 
church  may  be  seen  in  the  100  per  cent  increase  of  self-sup- 
port in  ten  years.  The  Centenary  surveys  for  China  call  for 
a  300  per  cent  increase  in  giving  on  the  field  by  the  native 
church. 

The  Methodist  Church  is  exclusively  responsible  for 
eighty  millions  of  people,  a  number  four-fifths  as  large  as 
the  population  of  the  United  States.  Every  fact  advanced 
about  China  in  this  chapter  is  an  argument  that  this  is  the 
time  of  times  to  give  to  the  native  church  of  China  a  mo- 
mentum that  will  insure  it  a  destiny  of  leadership.  The 
loosened  grip  of  ancient  faiths  on  China,  the  receptivity  of 
all  classes,  high  and  low,  and  the  stirring  of  the  national 
mind  outlined  above,  make  an  opportunity  for  Christian 
evangelism  hardly  to  be  matched  by  any  since  the  conversion 
of  the  peoples  of  northern  Europe. 

The  Centenary  World  Program  plans  the  development 
of  self-supporting  and  self-propagating  churches  until  they 
are  found  everywhere.  At  present  there  are  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  villages  and  towns  left  to  Methodism  alone 
which  are  still  without  any  regular  Christian  services.  It 
will  make  possible  a  commanding  work  among  educated 
classes  in  city  centers,  including  the  erection  of  worthy 
church  buildings  which  will  command  the  respect  of  both 


CHINA  81 

Christian  and  non-Christian  and  the  securing  of  strategic 
sites  while  property  is  still  cheap.  It  is  planned  to  provide 
and  equip  Chinese  pastors  qualified  to  lead  the  influential 
classes  and  to  hold  for  Christian  life  and  service  the  pro- 
ducts of  mission  institutions. 

With  great  wisdom  the  evangelistic  program  calls  for 
social  service  on  a  broad  scale.  There  is  both  statesmanship 
and  love  in  it.  Social  service  is  a  direct  application  of  the 
gospel  and  also  a  means  of  largest  appeal  to  the  Chinese. 
For  the  social  message  of  Christianity  is  strikingly  in  accord 
with  the  best  of  Chinese  tradition. 

"When  the  missionary  emphasizes  medical  work,  famine 
relief,  public  health,  and  help  for  the  unfortunate,  he  meets 
a  hearty  response  in  China,  for  the  Confucian  thought  which 
has  so  controlled  China  through  the  ages  has  stressed  hu- 
manitarian work. 

To  carry  through  this  program  there  will  be  needed  33 
new  missionaries  and  474  native  workers.  In  property  and 
equipment  it  calls  for  9  institutional  churches,  314  city  and 
village  churches  and  many  missionary  and  native  workers' 
residences ;  an  outlay  over  four  years  of  about  $1,500,000. 

The  Flowering  of  a  Century  Plant 

The  church  must  do  no  less.  The  present  readiness  of 
China  is  the  divine  flowering  of  a  century  plant,  for  the  year 
1919  is  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  translation  of 
the  Bible  into  Chinese  by  Robert  Morrison,  the  first  Protes- 
tant missionary.  It  was  a  tremendous  task.  Little  wonder 
that  after  the  task  was  done,  Milne,  Morrison's  associate, 
cried  out,  "To  learn  Chinese  is  a  work  for  men  with  bodies 
of  brass,  lungs  of  steel,  heads  of  oak,  hands  of  spring  steel, 
eyes  of  eagles,  hearts  of  apostles,  memories  of  angels,  and 
lives  of  Methuselah."  That  date  of  the  translation  of  the 
Bible  into  Chinese  is  one  of  the  great  red-letter  days  in  the 
history  of  China.  Now  that  century  plant  is  bursting  in  a 
gorgeous  bloom.    In  the  five  years  after  the  revolution  there 


82      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

has  been  an  increase  in  membership  in  the  Christian  Church 
in  China  of  25  per  cent ! 

Western  influence  is  breaking  down  superstition  in 
China.  Shall  we  put  nothing  else  in  its  place  f  The  science 
and  learning  and  commerce  and  the  vices  of  Western  civili- 
zation are  sweeping  in  pellmell.  Shall  we  send  nothing 
along  to  supplement  and  redeem?  If  we  cast  out  the  evil 
demon  of  superstition  only  to  have  the  seven  devils  of  com- 
mercialism, agnosticism,  sensuality,  and  materialism  take 
up  their  abode,  surely  the  last  state  of  China  will  be  worse 
than  the  first.  We  play  the  part  of  destroyers  if  we  break 
idols  only  to  leave  vacant  shrines.  China  needs  those  idols 
replaced  by  a  deeper  reverence,  a  more  satisfying  faith,  a 
nobler  moral  ideal.  ''We  who  have  sent  through  all  the 
Eastern  lands  our  food  products,  our  textiles,  our  automo- 
biles, shall  we  also  send  our  Bible?  We  who  are  breaking 
down  family  life  and  ancient  forms  of  worship  and  long- 
established  government,  shall  we  also  plant  the  faith  in  God 
the  Father  and  in  Jesus  Christ  I "  ^ 

The  Medical  Task 

A  physician  in  the  United  States,  hurrying  to  the  house 
of  a  patient  recently,  was  met  by  a  friend  who  inquired 
where  he  was  going.  On  being  told  the  name  of  the  patient 
the  friend  reassured  him  by  saying  the  patient  had  a  book 
on  ''What  to  Do  Before  the  Doctor  Comes."  "That  is  why 
I  am  hurrying,"  the  physician  replied.  "I  am  afraid  he 
will  use  it. ' ' 

That  has  been  the  climax  of  China's  physical  suffer- 
ing. She  has  been  using  her  native  text-book  of  old  wives ' 
fables  in  medicine  to  meet  the  great  scourges  with  which 
the  land  is  afflicted  and  has  not  only  been  powerless  before 
them  but  even  added  to  their  toll  of  suffering  and  death.  It 
has  been  like  the  fatal  sickness  of  George  Washington. 
The  disease  was  bad  enough,  but  he  was  making  a  brave 

*W.  H.  p.  Faunce,  Social  Aspects  of  Foreign  Missions,  p.  97. 


CHINA 


83 


struggle  against  it,  when  the  doctor  arrived  with  his  stern 
cure  which  proved  too  much  even  for  the  iron  constitution 
of  the  "Father  of  his  Country."     Chinese  medicine,  al- 


METHODIST  HOSPITAL  CENTERS  IN  CHINA 
The  figures  represent  the  number  of  persons  for  whom  Methodism  is  responsible 

though  possessing  some  value,  is  quite  incapable  of  dealing 
with  such  diseases  as  diphtheria,  cholera,  and  plague.  The 
Chinese  know  practically  nothing  of  surgery  except  as  they 
learn  it  from  Western  schools.  Only  in  certain  centers  have 
people  awakened  to  questions  of  public  sanitation ;  cities  the 


84      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

size  of  Boston  draw  water  from  polluted  rivers  and  wells. 
Every  city  and  village  has  open  sewers.  Out  of  ten  chil- 
dren born  in  the  United  States  tlire'e,  normally  the  weakest 
three,  will  fail  to  grow  up.  Out  of  ten  children  born  in 
China,  these  weakest  three  and  probably  five  more  besides 
will  die.  The  present  death  rate  in  China  is  from- 50  to  55 
per  1,000.  In  the  State  of  New  York  it  is  15  per  1,000;  in 
modernized  Japan,  20  per  1,000.  In  North  America  there 
is  one  doctor  to  every  625  people;  in  China  one  to  every 
2,500,000. 

Methodism  in  China  has  11  hospitals,  2  dispensaries, 
and  16  physicians.  They  have  performed  a  service  vastly  out 
of  proportion  to  their  numbers.  Native  women  physicians 
at  the  head  of  Methodist  hospitals,  such  as  Dr.  Mary  Stone 
and  Dr.  Ida  Kahn,  graduates  of  American  medical  schools, 
and  brilliant  physicians  and  surgeons,  are  among  the  bright- 
est trophies  ever  won  by  Christian  missions  in  any  land  at 
any  time.  At  Dr.  Mary  Stone's  Hospital  in  1915, 10,000  new 
patients  were  treated,  13,000  return  visits  and  1,000  patients 
cared  for  in  the  hospital,  making  a  total  in  round  numbers 
of  25,000  persons  reached  by  Dr.  Stone's  work.  In  the 
survey  of  needs  the  responsibility  of  Methodism  has  been 
figured  out  carefully  on  the  basis  of  figures  submitted  by 
physicians  in  charge  of  hospitals  on  the  fields.  At  Peking 
the  measure  of  responsibility  for  the  Methodist  hospital  is 
14,000,000  people.  In  Chengtu  in  West  China  it  is  2,500,- 
000.  For  that  need  there  is  one  doctor.  Thirty-five  million 
people  for  whom  the  church  is  responsible  have  11  hospitals 
and  24  physicians !  One  of  the  saddest  facts  is  that  40  per 
cent  of  the  Methodist  hospitals  in  China  are  closed,  because 
there  is  no  staff  to  care  for  them.  Most  of  the  hospitals  are 
manned  with  one  physician  and  when  he  leaves,  for  illness, 
or  any  cause,  there  is  no  one  to  take  his  place. 

There  is  imperative  need  for  equipping  existing  hos- 
pitals with  sufficient  nurses,  physicians,  and  surgeons.  On 
the  lowest  estimate  25  missionary  doctors,  and  101  native 
doctors  and  assistants  are  needed.    Two  new  hospitals  and 


CHINA  85 

13  dispensaries  must  be  provided.  The  total  asking  for 
this  medical  work  is  $1,087,345.  This  much  must  be.invested 
to  meet  the  church's  share  in  the  great  cooperative  medical 
work  in  which  it  is  engaged,  and  which  the  China  Medical 
Board  is  aiding  in  a  broad-visioned,  generous  way. 

.  The  Prize 

These  are  days  of  revolution  and  somersault.  Deeper 
than  that  they  are  days  of  grace.  For  there  has  appeared 
to  the  sober,  conservative,  and  restrained  minds  of  Chris- 
tian leaders  at  the  heart  of  the  whirlpool  the  real  possibility 
that  if  the  Church  of  Christ  will  open  its  eyes  and  see  and  act 
swiftly  and  grandly,  the  next  generation  will  find  China  a 
Christian  republic. 


Until  India  is  leavened  with  Christianity  she  will  be  unfit  for 
freedom. — Sir  H.  B.  Edwards. 

Rapid  as  India's  progress  has  been  in  some  respects,  the  essential 
fact  is  that  the  great  mass  of  her  people  are  at  this  moment  given  over 
to  beliefs,  prejudices,  and  habits  a  thousand  years  behind  those  of  the 
races  who  live  efiiciently  in  the  real  world.  A  country  which  has 
lain  for  twenty  or  thirty  centuries  under  the  maleficent  spell  of  caste, 
fetishism,  cow-and-Brahman  worship  and  an  ahnost  equally  enervating 
metaphysics,  cannot  all  of  a  sudden  wake  up,  rub  its  eyes  and  claim 
to  be  a  civilized  nation.  There  is  now  every  likelihood  of  a  great  and 
fairly  rapid  change  in  the  mental  condition  of  the  masses,  and  until 
that  change  has  had  time  to  make  itself  felt  it  would  be  madness  for 
India  to  attempt  to  stand  alone. — WiUiam  Archer,  "India  and  the 
Future." 

We  are  watching  to-day  a  great  and  stupendous  process,  the  recon- 
struction of  a  decomposed  society,  parallel  to  the  movement  in  Europe 
in  the  fifth  century.  .  .  .  Stui^endous,  indeed,  and  to  guide  that  transi- 
tion with  sympathy,  wisdom,  and  courage  may  well  be  called  a  glorious 
mission. — Lord  Morley,  Secretary  of  State  for  India,  1905-1910. 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  LEAVEN  OF  FREEDOM  AT  WORK  IN  INDIA 

''What  picture  comes  to  your  mind  when  you  think  of 
India  I ' '  was  asked  of  a  company  of  people  recently. 

''The  Taj  Mahal,"  answered  one  traveler,  as  the  mem- 
ory of  that  glittering  gem  of  architecture  came  to  mind. 

' '  The  Road  to  Mandalay, ' '  replied  another,  recalling  the 
glamour  of  Kipling's  India. 

"When  I  think  of  India,"  said  a  third,  "I  always  think 
of  the  picture  of  a  man  sitting  on  a  bed  of  spikes. ' ' 

"India  always  suggests  to  me,"  said  a  fourth,  "the 
pictures  of  famine  sufferers  which  were  so  familiar  years 
ago,  more  like  living  skeletons  than  men. ' ' 

It  is  the  mingling  of  these  true  pictures  of  different  as- 
pects of  India  that  makes  it  such  a  ' '  buzzing,  blooming  blur ' ' 
to  the  Western  mind. 

The  New  Dream 

The  dominating  fact  in  the  life  of  India  to-day,  per- 
vading the  bewildering  maze  of  its  congress  of  races  and 
languages,  castes  and  religions,  is  the  throbbing  of  a  new  na- 
tional consciousness.  This  spirit  of  nationalism  finds  ex- 
pression in  the  political  field  as  a  movement  toward  national 
unity  and  an  aspiration  for  a  larger  measure  of  democracy 
and  self-government.  In  the  social  life  it  is  a  striving  to 
break  the  fetters  of  caste  and  other  curses  of  the  most  en- 
slaving social  order  ever  devised.  In  the  religious  life  that 
same  ferment  of  freedom  finds  its  most  striking  expression 
in  the  mass  movement  toward  Christianity  among  the  lowest 
classes. 

The  presence  of  the  picturesque  and  doughty  fighters 

89 


90      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

from  India  iu  the  battle  line  of  democracy  in  France  and 
Egypt,  Asia  Minor  and  Mesopotamia  is  the  outward  and 
visible  sign  of  an  inward  sympathy  with  the  cause.  And  the 
very  participation  of  India  in  the  war  is  hastening  the  move- 
ment toward  unity  and  quickening  the  other  forces  which  are 
transforming  her  life.  India  no  longer  sits  aloof  from  the 
commotion  of  the  AVestern  world  in  inward  contemplation, 
as  in  other  days  when 


"She  let  the  legions  thunder  past 
And  plunged  in  thought  again." 


The  thundering  legions  of  this  war  will  indeed  leave  India 
plunged  in  thought,  but  she  is  thinking  in  tune  •with  the  rest 
of  the  world,  thinking  of  freedom  and  enlightenment  and 
progress. 

Will  the  Deeam  Come  True  ? 

This  birth  of  the  new  national  consciousness  of  India 
greatly  multiplies  its  appeal  to  the  Church  of  Christ.  It  had 
an  already  great  appeal  as  the  most  religious  of  all  coun- 
tries, the  one  most  cursed  by  its  religion,  and  the  neediest 
and  most  poverty-stricken  of  all  lands.  But  as  India  has 
awakened  to  a  new  feeling  of  unity  and  a  striving  for  free- 
dom she  presents  to  the  Christian  Church  both  an  increased 
need  and  opportunity.  If  her  dream  of  a  larger  measure  of 
self-government  is  to  be  realized  in  a  safe  and  beneficent 
manner,  she  must  be  fitted  for  it*  by  the  enlightening  and 
uplifting  forces  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  There  is  no  reason 
to  doubt  that  Great  Britain  will  admit  India  to  the  self- 
government  enjoyed  by  her  other  dominions,  such  as  Canada 
and  Australia,  when  she  is  fitted  for  it.^  But  beyond  the 
need  of  India  for  the  gospel  in  order  to  make  democracy 
safe  there  lies  the  need  of  that  larger  freedom  in  the  Chris- 


'  A  new  home-rule  plan  of  government  which  has  for  its  purpose  eventu- 
ally to  set  up  in  India  a  responsible  self-government  has  been  prepared 
for  submission  to  the  British  Parliament  by  the  Secretary  of  State  for 
India,  E.  S.  Montague,  and  the  Viceroy,  Baron  Chelmsford  (July,  1918). 


LEAVEN  OF  FREEDOM  AT  AVORK      91 

tian  sense,  of  which  political  self-government  is  only  one 
incidental  expression.  It  is  the  liberation  and  strengthening 
of  the  soul,  which  frees  from  the  power  of  sin  and  selfish- 
ness, from  the  bondage  of  superstition  and  custom  and  sets 
men  at  liberty  to  serve  God  and  their  fellow  men.  Without 
this  deeper  spiritual  freedom,  which  is  the  gift  of  Christ, 
self-government  is  a  hollow  gain,  a  prize  which  cannot  be 
fully  used  and  which  is  easily  lost. 

Days  of  Ferment 

The  stirring  of  these  new  desires  and  aspirations  fur- 
nishes an  unprecedented  opportunity  for  Christian  leader- 
ship. The  leaven  of  freedom  which  is  the  result  of  mission- 
ary influence,  British  government  and  Western  contacts,  is 
at  work  with  astounding  results.  Christianity  has  that  for 
which  India  is  seeking.  If  in  these  fermenting  and  creative 
days,  when  the  national  life  is  being  stirred  and  millions 
are  moving  toward  Christianity,  the  church  shall  widen  its 
endeavor  and  furnish  an  adequate  leadership,  the  process  of 
the  Christianization  of  India  will  go  forward  with  a  mo- 
mentum of  which  no  one  dared  to  dream  a  generation  ago. 

''The  Land  of  Desire" 

Since  the  dawn  of  history  India  has  been  '^a,  land  of 
desire"  to  all  nations  on  account  of  its  untold  wealth  and 
strategic  location.  Recall  for  a  moment  some  of  the  amaz- 
ing proportions  and  characteristics  of  India. 

While  it  embraces  only  one  fifteenth  of  the  world's 
area,  it  contains  one  fifth  of  the  population  of  the  globe, 
about  315,000,000.  W^ith  an  area  a  little  less  than  one  half 
that  of  the  United  States,  including  Alaska,  it  has  three 
times  the  population.  It  has  more  races  than  in  all  Europe 
and  147  languages.  Its  population  is  composed  of  217,000,- 
000  Hindus,  66,000,000  Mohammedans,  10,000,000  Buddhists, 
10,000,000  animists,  4,000,000  Christians,  and  about  6,000,000 


92      CHEISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

others.  Its  Mohammedan  population  of  66,000,000  makes  it 
the  largest  Mohammedan  country  in  the  world. 

Out  of  a  population  of  315,000,000,  280,000,000  live  in 
villages.  It  is  estimated  that  there  are  over  730,000  villages 
in  India,  In  the  vivid  picturing  of  Bishop  Warne,  "If 
Christ  had  started  on  the  day  of  his  baptism  to  preach  in  the 
villages  of  India,  visiting  one  village  each  day,  he  would 
still  have  30,000  villages  to  visit. "  In  other  words,  he  would 
not  complete  the  trip  until  the  year  2000. 

It  is  a  land  of  bewildering  contrasts.  Its  climate  ranges 
all  the  way  from  that  of  ''Greenland's  icy  mountains  to 
India's  coral  strands."  It  possesses  unrivaled  natural 
beauty  and  some  of  the  most  artistic  buildings  ever  created 
by  the  hand  of  man,  such  as  the  Taj  Mahal,  side  by  side  with 
ugliness  and  filth  beyond  description.  A  land  of  amazing 
wealth,  it  has  a  depth  of  squalor  and  poverty  not  to  be 
matched  on  earth.  Justly  famous  for  its  scholars  and 
learned  pundits,  eighty-nine  per  cent  of  its  men  and  ninety- 
nine  per  cent  of  its  women  are  unable  even  to  read  or  write. 
Possessed  of  a  profound  religious  philosophy  and  literature, 
the  most  instinctively  religious  people  on  earth,  its  life  is 
fettered  with  bonds  of  flie  grossest  superstition  and  an  op- 
pressive social  system. 

If  India  has  ever  been  a  "land  of  desire"  to  human 
monarchs,  how  much  more,  with  its  deep  religious  nature 
and  its  teeming,  needy  millions,  must  it  be  a  "land  of  de- 
sire" to  Christ! 

Signs  or  the  New  Day 

Let  us  glance  swiftly  at  some  of  the  manifestations  of 
the  awakening  in  India. 

Nationalism 

The  Russo-Japanese  war  was  an  alarm  clock  which 
tingled  throughout  the  whole  of  Asia.  The  spectacle  of  an 
Oriental  nation  matching  its  strength  successfully  with  a 


LEAVEN  OF  FREEDOM  AT  WORK     93 

great  European  power  caused  a  restlessness  throughout 
India,  a  consciousness  of  herself  as  a  nation  and  an  aspira- 
tion that  India  as  a  people  should  take  a  share  among  the 
nations  and  act  her  part  in  the  great  world  drama.  The 
American  occupation  of  the  Philippines,  with  the  educa- 
tional and  political  progress  which  has  resulted,  has  fostered 
new  national  desires.  The  participation  of  India  in  the 
world  war  has  brought  national  patriotism  to  large  sections 
of  Indian  society  and  strengthened  the  feeling  of  sympathy 
and  unity  among  the  native  states.  The  meeting  of  the  India 
National  Congress  in  1916,  in  which  Mohammedans  as  well 
as  Hindus  participated,  appeared  as  a  body  more  fully 
representing  the  whole  population  than  ever  before.  That 
body  drafted  a  joint  Hindu-Moslem  program  of  reforms 
which  was  presented  to  the  viceroy  and  secretary  of  state, 
an  action  which  evidences  that  representatives  of  the  masses 
now  think  very  much  alike  on  the  essentials  of  India's  na- 
tional needs  and  national  rights. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  this  new  spirit  of  national- 
ism is  not  a  movement  to  break  away  from  the  control  of 
Great  Britain.  That  fact  is  abundantly  demonstrated  by  the 
enthusiastic  loyalty  of  India  during  the  war.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  fact  that  the  Sultan  of  Turkey  declared  a  holy  war, 
the  Mohammedan  population  of  India,  of  66,000,000,  has 
stood  loyal  to  England.  The  nationalist  movement  in  India, 
except  for  small  and  misguided  parts,  concedes  that  the  gov- 
ernment of  India  shall  remain  responsible  to  the  British 
government  and  Parliament  in  the  matter  of  foreign  rela- 
tions, Indian  defense,  and  affairs  of  the  native  states.  In 
other  matters  the  desire  is  for  home  rule  like  that  of  other 
British  dominions. 

Christianity  and  the  National  Aspiration 

The  point  of  contact  between  Christianity  and  this  na- 
tional aspiration  is  clear.  It  is  not  the  purpose  of  Christian 
missions  to  establish  any  particular  form  of  government,  not 


94      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

even  democratic  government.  That  the  longing  for  self-ex- 
pression and  development  follows  in  the  wake  of  Christian 
teaching  is  not  due  to  any  political  propaganda  or  meddling 
on  the  part  of  the  missionary,  but  to  the  inherent  quality 
of  the  Christian  evangel  as  a  message  of  the  worth  and  pos- 
sibility of  every  man. 

The  British  Government  has  freely  and  fully  recognized 
the  part  which  Christian  missions  have  played  in  the  loyalty 
of  India  in  the  present  crisis.  Missionaries,  at  the  request 
of  the  government,  have  gone  with  native  troops  to  Europe 
and  by  their  service  have  greatly  increased  their  effective- 
ness. The  business  of  Christianity  in  India  to-day  is  not  the 
minor  one  of  securing  new  political  forms,  but,  in  view  of  the 
movement  toward  larger  self-government,  to  quicken  the 
spiritual  forces  which  are  the  soul  of  liberty  and  progress. 

Economic  Advance 

The  busy  whirl  of  factory  wheels  is  mingling  to-day 
with  the  sound  of  the  temple  bells.  An  industrial  revolution 
is  in  process  and  factories  and  industries  have  grown  enor- 
mously. In  a  land  which  from  time  immemorial  has  been 
almost  entirely  agricultural,  over  35,000,000  people  are  de- 
pendent on  industrial  occupations  for  a  living.  It  is  a  sur- 
prise to  most  people  to  realize  that  India  stands  second  to 
the  United  States  in  railway  mileage,  with  over  32,000  miles. 
The  produce  of  the  world  is  carried  in  sacks  of  Indian  jute. 
She  is  second  only  to  the  United  States  in  the  jDroduction  of 
cotton,  being  responsible  for  one  sixth  of  the  world's  output. 
The  iron  and  steel  industry  is  just  at  its  beginning,  but  al- 
ready large  steel  plants  are  making  rails  and  girders  and,  at 
the  present  time,  shells  for  the  Allies.  In  agriculture,  large 
irrigation  projects  and  canal  systems  with  50,000  miles  of 
canals  are  in  operation  which  have  redeemed  over  20,000,- 
000  acres  of  waste  land.  Recently  India  exported  more 
wheat  to  Great  Britain  than  any  other  country  with  an  aver- 
age yield  of  only  six  bushels  to  the  acre.    With  improved 


LEAVEN  OF  FREEDO:\[  AT  WORK     95 

methods  of  cultivation  and  increase  of  acreage  due  to  irri- 
gation, this  yield  per  acre  will  undoubtedly  be  increased  six- 
fold. 

Educational  Activity 

India's  coming  of  age  is  indicated  by  the  passing  of  the 
old  era  of  almost  unbroken  ignorance  and  superstition  and 
the  organization  of  a  new  system  of  Western  education  and 
knowledge.  It  is  a  movement  which  extends  through  all  the 
great  divisions  of  the  population.  Hindus,  Mohammedans, 
Christians,  and  the  government  are  all  holding  educational 
congresses,  establishing  schools,  and  projecting  universities. 
A  new  recognition  of  the  lack  of  education  and  its  fatal 
handicap  to  national  progress  has  develoj)ed,  and  the  un- 
usual thing  about  this  educational  effort  is  that  a  part  of  it 
concerns  women.  An  uneducated  womanhood  has  had  the 
sanction  of  religion  in  India  and  still  has,  but  in  spite  of  that, 
schools  for  girls  and  even  for  Hindu  widows  are  springing 
up  in  progressive  communities.  A  Hindu  Woman's  Uni- 
versity is  being  planned.  It  is  a  colossal  task — educating  a 
fifth  of  the  human  race.  A  new  impetus  is  felt  in  the  field  of 
primary  education,  India's  greatest  educational  need.  The 
higher  universities  are  far  better  developed  than  elementary 
schools.  With  three  times  the  population  of  the  United 
States  India  has  only  two  fifths  as  many  pupils  in  school. 
Of  her  315,000,000  people  over  288,000,000  are  unable  to  read 
or  write.  This  new  educational  interest  and  conscience  is  a 
remarkable  tribute  to  the  work  of  Christian  educators  in 
India  during  the  last  half  century  and  also  a  remarkable 
opportunity  for  Christian  education  to-day. 

A  New  Conscience 

A  new  conscience  is  an  unmistakable  and  gratifying  ex- 
pression of  the  national  awakening  in  India.  An  active 
spirit  of  social  ref  qrm  is  abroad  in  the  land  which  is  waging 
a  spirited  attack  on  the  prime  curse  of  India,  the  caste  sys- 
tem, and  on  other  social  blights.     Sometimes  these  move- 


96      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

ments  and  the  associations  which  promote  tliem  are  strongly 
anti-Christian,  but  Christian  example  and  influence  have 
been  unmistakable  in  their  growth.  The  caste  system,  which 
separates  the  population  into  different  classes  with  unpass- 
able  boundaries,  is  being  dealt  some  hard  blows  by  Western 
institutions  which  force  intermingling,  such  as  the  railroad, 
and  by  associations  which  defy  the  prohibitions  of  caste. 
Public  dinners  at  which  members  of  many  different  castes, 
from  the  highest,  the  Brahmans,  to  the  lowest,  the  outcastes, 
sat  down  together,  have  thrown  down  the  gantlet  to  the  caste 
authorities.  The  war  is  loosening  the  hold  of  caste  restric- 
tions. Over  300,000  troops  have  crossed  the  sea  from  India 
and  by  doing  so  have  broken  caste.  It  is  impossible  to  think 
that  these  men  will  be  despised  as  outcastes  on  their  re- 
turn. On  the  contrary,  they  will  be  hailed  as  heroes  and  the 
whole  caste  system  will  receive  a  severe  jolt. 

Reform  associations  for  attacking  many  of  the  great 
social  curses  of  India  have  been  formed  among  the  Hindus, 
and  others  of  the  population,  as  well  as  among  Christians. 
A  Hindu  Marriage  Reform  League  with  ninety-eight 
branches  is  combating  the  evils  of  child-marriage  and  seek- 
ing to  raise  the  age  of  marriage.  Agitation  to  make  possibfe 
and  common  the  remarriage  of  widows,  and  to  abolish  the  se- 
clusion of  women  in  the  Purdah  is  being  carried  on  by  many 
associations.  The  task  to  which  the  reformers  have  set 
themselves  is,  of  course,  enormous,  and  progress  is  neces- 
sarily slow.  But  the  significant  thing  is  not  the  actual  suc- 
cess thus  far  achieved,  but  the  fact  that  India  is  awakening. 

Religious  Unrest 

India  is  the  greatest  arena  of  religions  in  the  world.  It 
has  given  two  great  religions  to  the  world.  Buddhism  and 
Hinduism,  which  have  vitally  affected  every  individual  in 
Asia.  It  is  the  greatest  world  center  of  Mohammedanism 
and  Hinduism.  With  its  intense  religious  interest,  India  is 
marked  by  deep  unrest  in  the  religious  as  well  as  in  the  social 


LEAVEN  OF  FREEDOIM  AT  WOKK      97 

life.  The  most  remarkal)le  sign  of  that  unrest  is  the  mass 
movement  toward  Christianity  now  going  on  among  the  low- 
est classes.  This  will  be  discussed  later.  The  religious  un- 
rest and  transformation,  however,  are  wides])read  through- 
out all  classes.  The  old  pantheistic  and  polytheistic  order  is 
breaking  up  and  the  reconstruction  in  many  cjuarters  of  the 
belief  in  one  God  is  indication  that  India  is  beginning  to  rise 
to  grasi3  the  conception  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God. 

We  cannot  study  the  census  figures  without  realizing 
that  there  is  a  great  spiritual  awakening  going  on.  While 
the  Buddhists  have  increased  in  ten  years  only  about  eleven 
per  cent,  the  Mohammedans  six  per  cent,  the  Hindus  only 
four  per  cent,  Protestant  Indian  Christians  increased  forty- 
eight  per  cent,  and  they  are  coming  forward  at  that  rate 
every  decade.  Their  rate  of  increase  is  seven  times  as  fast 
as  that  of  the  population,  and  twelve  times  as  fast  as  that  of 
the  Hindus;  so  that,  even  at  the  present  rate  of  increase, 
India  would  be  a  Christian  country  in  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  which  would  be  a  shorter  time  than  it  took  to  convert 
the  Roman  empire.  But  the  very  rate  of  increase  is  gaining, 
and  when  once  the  system  of  caste  breaks,  a  great  flood-tide 
will  flow  into  the  Christian  Church.^ 

The  Old  Needs 

Significant  and  hopeful  as  these  proofs  of  awakening 
are,  the  dream  of  a  new  India  will  be  futile  without  Chris- 
tianity. The  old  evils  and  the  old  bondage  still  abide  in 
their  intensity  and  make  up  a  sum  of  misery  beyond  our 
power  to  compute.  The  religions  of  India  have  forged  on  it 
a  social  system  which  is  the  most  unmitigated  curse  a  land 
has  ever  known.  The  caste  system  has  held  the  people  in  a 
vise  for  twentj^-five  centuries  and  still  has  its  deadening  grip 
upon  them.    It  is  the  world's  arch  enemy  of  democracy  and 


'  Sherwood  Eddy,  in  Students  and  the  World-Wide  Expansion  of  Chris- 
tianity, p.  287. 


98      CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

a  true  democracy  in  India  can  rise  only  when  it  is  broken. 
There  are  upward  of  19,000  castes  and  sub-castes,  most  of 
them  belonging  to  the  three  great  groups  known  as 
Brahmans,  sudras  and  outcastes.  Individuals  belonging  to 
the  outcastes  are  considered  so  impure  in  nature  that  to 
touch  them  brings  defilement,  hence  their  common  name — 
''the  untouchables."  The  higher  castes,  though  somewhat 
tolerant  of  each  other,  must  not  dine  together  nor  inter- 
marry, on  pain  of  a  social  persecution  which  to  most  peo- 
ple is  intolerable.  Did  any  land  ever  present  such  crying 
need  for  the  Christian  revelation  of  the  Brotherhood  of 
Man? 

"One  Long  Crime  Against  Womanhood" 

Asia  has  been  well  called  "one  long  crime  against 
womanhood,"  and  the  crime  is  intensified  in  India.  Child- 
marriage  still  lays  its  blight  on  the  physical,  mental,  and 
spiritual  life  of  the  land.  There  are  over  300,000  wives  in 
India  under  six  years  of  age  and  over  22,000,000  between  five 
and  ten.  Most  girls  are  taken  from  school  to  be  married  at 
ten  and  receive  no  more  education,  if,  indeed,  they  have 
received  any  at  all  up  to  that  time.  The  suffering  caused 
by  the  oppression  of  widows  still  continues.  There  are 
23,000,000  widows  in  India  of  whom  112,000  are  under  ten 
years  of  age.  Hindu  custom  absolutely  forbids  the  remar- 
riage of  widows,  and  they  are  condemned  to  a  life  of  drudg- 
ery and  disgrace.  The  lot  of  a  widow  in  India  is  so  hard 
that  the  number  of  suicides  among  them  is  large  and  often  it 
is  hardly  to  be  preferred  to  the  old  fate  which  awaited  the 
widow,  that  of  being  burned  on  her  husband's  funeral  pyre. 
The  need  of  education  cannot  be  pictured  strongly  enough. 
In  spite  of  the  new  interest  in  education,  and  in  spite  of  the 
175,000  schools  in  India,  only  one  quarter  of  the  boys  and 
one  twentieth  of  the  girls  are  receiving  any  instruction. 
Professor  D.  J.  Fleming  has  made  statistics  tell  a  graphic 
story  in  his  statement  that  while  there  are  enough  females  in 
India  to  replace  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  North  and 


LEAVEN  OF  FREEDOM  AT  WORK     99 

South  America,  yet  all  who  could  read  or  write  among  them 
could  reside  comfortably  in  Philadelphia.^ 

Extreme  poverty  must  be  kept  as  the  background  of 
every  mental  picture  we  form  of  India.  Lord  Cromer  of 
Egj^pt  estimated  the  average  income  per  capita  in  India  as 
nine  dollars.  Lord  Curzon  boasted  that  during  his  admin- 
istration as  viceroy  the  income  of  the  agriculturists  had  been 
raised  from  six  dollars  to  seven  dollars  a  year.  Forty  mil- 
lions of  people  go  to  bed  hungry  every  night;  and  they  lie 
down  on  a  mud  floor  to  sleep. 

The  spiritual  need  is  the  one  that  touches  and  under- 
lies all  others.  This  great  country  of  300,000,000  people,  the 
dominating  trait  of  whose  history  through  all  the  ages  has 
been  the  search  for  God,  is  still  without  him  as  he  has  shown 
his  fullness  in  Christ.  The  weary  and  yet  eager  search  goes 
on.  Surely,  those  who  are  trustees  of  the  news  of  God  in 
Jesus  Christ  cannot  withhold  it  at  this  crucial  hour  of 
India 's  search. 

The  Christian  Opportunity 

The  most  arresting  feature  of  the  Christian  opportunity 
to-day  is 

The  Mass  Movement 

It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  the  present  mass  move- 
ment toward  Christianity  now  going  on  among  the  lowest 
classes  in  India,  a  movement  as  a  body  in  groups,  villages, 
and  castes,  is  the  greatest  since  the  Christian  Church  was 
founded.  It  is  the  dominating  fact  in  the  missionary  situa- 
tion in  India.  It  is  a  movement  of  great  waves.  The  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  alone  baptized  40,000  in  1915,  and 
is  at  present  baptizing  2,000  a  week.  Last  year  150,000 
were  refused  baptism  for  lack  of  Christian  teachers.  Back 
of  them  are  6,000,000  calling  for  instruction  and  baptism  and 
back  of  them  50,000,000  available  to  Christianity. 

It  might  be  more  properly  called  a  caste  or  class  move- 
'  World  Outlook,  August,  1917. 


100    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

ment  than  a  mass  movement,  for  the  explanation  of  the 
movement  is  found  in  the  caste  system  which  binds  the  peo- 
ple of  India  together  in  an  intricate  social  network.    India 


ARABIAN  SEa 


WHERE  THE  MILLIONS  ARE  MOVING  TOWARD  CHRISTIANITY 

Map  of  India  showing  the  geographical  and  numerical  extent  of  Mass  Movements. 
A  million  outcastes  a  year  might  be  baptized  if  facilities  for  shepherding  and  instruction  were 
provided. 

has  acquired  the  habit  of  moving  along  caste  lines,  for  the 
members  of  a  caste  are  so  enmeshed  in  common  prohibitions 
that  if  they  move  at  all  they  must  move  together.  Hinduism 
is  built  in  layers  or  castes,  piled  one  upon  another  into  the 


LEAVEN  OF  FREEDOM  AT  WOEK  101 

thousands.  There  are  three  great  divisions  of  these  castes — 
Brahmans,  numbering  15,000,000;  the  middle  castes,  142,- 
000,000 ;  and  the  low  castes  or  outcastes,  50,000,000,  or  one 
sixth  of  the  total  population.  It  is  among  these  outcastes 
that  the  mass  movement  is  taking  place. 

The  Outcastes 

These  outcastes  are  so  low  in  the  scale  of  life  that  they 
have  to  "reach  up  to  touch  bottom."  They  are  depressed 
classes  outside  the  pale  of  Hinduism,  sunk  in  abject  ignor- 
ance and  squalor.  It  is  common  for  them  to  live  on  one  meal 
of  grain  a  day,  and  a  frugal  meal  at  that.  The  daily  wage 
of  the  members  of  the  Methodist  Church  who  have  come  in 
through  the  mass  movement  averages  three  cents.  A  mis- 
sionary has  described  how  he  has  seen  a  man  come  home 
late  at  night  to  a  family  of  five  persons  with  a  smile  of  tri- 
umph at  his  success,  while  all  that  he  had  brought  was  a 
mess  of  millet  gruel  in  a  filthy  pot,  about  the  equivalent  of 
the  porridge  which  two  American  children  take  for  break- 
fast, and  that  was  the  sole  nourishment  for  five  persons  for 
twenty-four  hours. ^ 

In  addition  to  this  poverty  the  outcastes  labor  under  a 
pitiless  social  oppression.  Hindu  society  regards  them  as 
so  unclean  that  even  their  shadow  pollutes.  While  under 
British  rule  they  enjoy  equal  rights  with  other  members  of 
the  population,  social  custom  compels  them  to  live  apart, 
often  excluding  them  from  the  use  of  the  village  well  and 
public  roads  and  bridges. 

The  DevHi's  Masterpiece 

Caste  has  well  been  called  "the  devil's  masterpiece." 
No  system  ever  devised  on  earth  has  ever  been  so  powerful 
an  instrument  in  holding  great  masses  of  people  under  the 
dead  hand  of  enslaving  tradition.     Each  of  these  castes 

'  J.  H.  Oldham,  The  World  and  the  Gospel,  p.  96. 


102    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

retains  something  of  the  guild  or  craft  idea,  and  its  mem- 
bers are  for  the  most  part  engaged  in  similar  trades.  There 
is  a  caste  of  weavers,  leather  workers,  goldsmiths,  etc.  Un- 
like the  social  divisions  of  any  other  lands,  these  caste  lines 
are  rigid.  No  possession  of  talent  or  intelligence  or  wealth 
avails  to  lift  a  man  out  of  his  caste.  The  caste  system  is 
well  compared  to  a  long  line  of  people  ascending  a  ladder, 
where  the  proper  procedure  is  to  kiss  the  feet  of  the  one 
above  and  kick  the  face  of  the  one  beneath. 

Throughout  all  missionary  endeavor  in  India  caste  has 
been  an  almost  insuperable  obstacle.  But  the  astonishing 
thing  disclosed  by  the  mass  movement  is  that  while  the  great 
social  network  of  caste  has  been  powerful  to  hold  men  down 
together,  it  is  also  powerful  to  lift  them  up  together.  This 
demonstration  is  changing  the  strategy  of  the  Christian 
effort  of  India  and  is  filling  the  future  with  new  and  en- 
larged hope.  It  is  like  the  movement  of  a  glacier.  It  is  next 
to  impossible  to  budge  any  part  of  it,  but  once  the  foundation 
of  the  whole  is  loosened  and  the  whole  mass  starts  to  move 
together,  it  is  irresistible.  To  win  individuals  out  of  a  caste, 
in  the  face  of  the  terrible  economic  and  social  persecution 
which  awaits  them,  has  been  exceedingly  hard  and  slow  work. 
But  when  a  whole  village  or  a  large  part  of  a  caste  gets  a 
vision  of  the  religious  and  social  advantages  which  Chris- 
tianity offers  and  becomes  Christian  in  solid  group,  it  can 
change  the  social  customs  under  which  it  lives  to  a  large 
extent.  This,  in  brief,  is  what  is  happening  among  the  out- 
castes  of  India  and  is  the  underlying  explanation  of  the  mass 
movement,  in  distinction  from  the  older  form  of  missionary 
success  in  winning  individuals  by  twos  and  threes  or  by 
families. 

Pentecost — A.  D.  To-day 

The  Pentecost  in  which  the  expansion  of  Christianity 
began,  as  recorded  in  the  second  chapter  of  the  book  of 
Acts,  was  marked  by  the  baptism  of  3,000  people.  In  the 
1918th  chapter  of  the  book  of  Acts,  now  being  written,  there 


LEAVEN  OF  FREEDOM  AT  WORK     103 

is  a  Pentecost  every  two  weeks  in  India,  over  3,000  people 
being  baptized  every  two  weeks.  It  has  not  been  a  spon- 
taneous movement  springing  suddenly  from  the  ground.  It 
has  been  going  on  for  twenty-five  years,  but  with  increased 
momentum  the  last  ten  years.  It  spreads  through  villages 
and  through  castes,  such  as  the  large  Chamar,  or  leather 
workers'  caste,  and  the  Sweeper  caste,  whose  combined  mem- 
bershii3  is  about  13,000,000,  and  among  which  there  are  large 
movements  toward  Christianity  at  present. 

Work  among  a  caste  is  begun  by  missionaries  and  pro- 
ceeds slowly.  Then  when  the  knowledge  of  Christian  teach- 
ing spreads,  the  village  or  district  group,  usually  under 
the  leadership  of  the  head  man  or  mayor,  decides  to  become 
Christian  in  a  body  and  asks  for  instruction  and  baptism. 
These  village  leaders  have  been  made  an  important  factor 
in  the  mass  movement.  Special  effort  has  been  made  to  win 
them  on  account  of  their  ability  and  recognized  leadership, 
and  thousands  of  these  village  leaders,  or  chaudris,  as  they 
are  called,  have  become  voluntary,  unpaid  Christian  leaders 
and  have  had  large  success  in  bringing  their  whole  village 
to  the  decision  to  accept  Christianity.  Thus  the  movement 
is  seizing  on  the  already  established  leadership  of  the  de- 
pressed peoples  and  making  it  a  force  in  the  native  Christian 
church. 

The  Social  Gospel  in  Action 

The  mass  movement  is  a  social  as  well  as  a  religious 
movement.  It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  millions  are  turning  to 
Christianity  for  freedom  from  social  and  economic  bondage 
as  well  as  for  spiritual  light.  It  is  one  of  the  greatest  demo- 
cratic movements  in  history.  Does  that  social  character  of 
the  movement  discount  it  as  a  Christian  evangelistic  success? 
If  anyone  thinks  so,  let  him  read  his  New  Testament  over 
again.  It  is  the  response  of  the  oj)pressed  and  downtrodden 
to  Christ,  the  great  Democrat,  who  came  'Ho  preach  good 
tidings  to  the  poor,  to  proclaim  release  to  the  captives  and 
recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that 


104    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

are  bruised."  The  desire  for  social  betterment  among  the 
outcastes  is  the  natural  response  to  the  great  invitation  of 
Christ,  ''Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  You  can  no  more  set  the 
great  truths  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brotherhood 
of  man  free  among  the  oppressed  peoples  of  the  earth  with- 
out starting  a  social  upheaval  than  you  can  drop  dynamite 
bombs  from  the  sky  without  causing  an  explosion.  In  the 
work  of  Christian  missions  among  the  depressed  classes  of 
India  there  is  a  striking  demonstration  of  the  social  value  of 
the  teaching  of  Christ.  The  Christian  community  which  has 
come  from  the  outcastes  has  shown  great  material,  intellect- 
ual, and  moral  progress.  The  whole  standard  of  life  has 
been  raised ;  degrading  habits  and  practices  have  been  aban- 
doned ;  a  new  idea  of  the  worth  of  human  life  has  followed 
the  Christian  teaching  of  the  value  of  every  human  soul. 

Are  They  Worth  Lifting? 

Physically,  these  outcaste  peoples  are  the  best  in  India. 
They  have  the  vigorous  physique  of  outdoor  laborers,  and 
the  children  are  healthy  and  robust.  They  have  a  mental 
caliber  that  compares  favorably  with  that  of  classes  higher 
in  the  social  scale.  Many  of  them,  when  highly  educated, 
have  become  the  ablest  leaders  of  the  country.  With  the 
advantages  which  higher  castes  enjoy  they  would  not  be 
inferior  in  any  degree. 

Their  spiritual  capacity  and  loyalty  under  persecution 
has  been  amply  demonstrated.  Many  of  them  have  with- 
stood a  persecution  which  has  a  bitterness  and  sharp  edge 
inconceivable  to  the  inhabitant  of  the  United  States.  Let  4is 
try  to  put  ourselves  in  their  places.  Think  what  it  would 
mean  for  us  to  be  refused  work,  or  made  to  work  and  then 
refused  any  pay ;  to  have  our  water  supply  cut  off  under  a 
scorching  heat,  to  be  put  out  of  the  houses  in  which  our 
families  have  lived  for  generations  and  to  be  denied  all  share 
in  the  common  life  of  our  towns.    Yet  these  are  the  persecu- 


LEAVEN  OF  FREEDOM  AT  WORK     105 

tions  which  thousands  of  these  ''untouchables"  have  lo3'ally 
endured.  Voluntary  Christian  service  and  generous  giving 
out  of  an  abysmal  poverty  have  further  proved  the  quality 
of  the  converts. 

The  Embakrassment  of  Answered  Prayer 

For  half  a  century  the  church  has  been  praying  that 
people  might  be  moved,  and  now  that  the  prayer  is  being  so 
tumultuously  answered,  the  church  is  embarrassed  by  the 
calls  that  are  put  upon  it.  The  evangelistic  resources  of  the 
church  are  overwhelmed.  At  the  present  time  200,000  peo- 
ple in  the  mass  movement  areas  are  awaiting  baptism  in  the 
Methodist  Church.  For  a  dozen  years  or  so  the  church  has 
been  "standing  like  a  policeman  holding  back  the  people 
that  wanted  to  come  into  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ. "  ^  A 
novel  commentary,  surely,  on  the  text:  ''Whosoever  will,  let 
him  come !"  A  million  a  year  might  be  baptized  if  pastoral 
care  and  teaching  could  be  provided. 

Possibilities 

We  cannot  soberly  think  of  the  possibilities  of  the  mass 
movement  without  constructing  what  must  seem  like  a  Chris- 
tian Arabian  Nights.  Remember  that  the  Hindu  caste  sys- 
tem is  like  a  pyramid  which  rests  heavily  on  the  outcastes  as 
a  base.  Let  the  base  be  undermined  and  the  pyramid  will 
begin  to  fall.  Already  experience  has  shown  that  wherever 
the  work  among  the  depressed  classes  has  been  most  suc- 
cessful, there  the  upper  castes  have  been  most  ready  to  hear 
and  accept  the  message  of  the  gospel.  Thus  it  is  shown  that 
work  among  the  depressed  classes  at  present  will  prove  the 
most  successful  way  of  opening  a  wide  door  to  the  middle 
and  upper  castes.  For  a  little  above  these  50,000,000  out- 
castes are  142,000,000  of  the  middle  castes,  the  backbone  of 
Indian  society ;  and  above  these  the  higher  Brahman  castes. 

» Bishop  C.  D.  Foss, 


106    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

Indications  are  already  at  hand  that  these  caste  or  mass 
movements  will  spread  upward. 

Meeting  the  Oppoetunity 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  missionaries  are  unable  to 
care  for  the  thousands  who  come  in  the  mass  movement,  the 
missionaries  are  frequently  advised  to  stop  it.  No  one  can 
stop  it!  As  soon  try  to  stop  Niagara  Falls  by  laying  a  few 
logs  across  the  top !  Forces  have  been  set  in  motion  which 
are  impelling  vast  multitudes  toward  Christianity.  There 
are  only  three  alternatives  before  the  church.  One  is  to 
refuse  to  receive  them  and  drive  them  into  a  permanent  and 
bitter  hostility  to  Christianity,  as  well  as  keep  them  in  piti- 
ful need.  The  second  is  to  baptize  them  without  the  neces- 
sary training.  The  third  is  to  furnish  the  teachers  and 
pastors  necessary  to  build  them  up  into  a  strong  intelligent 
church. 

The  Dangers  of  the  Movement 

If  these  peoples  are  refused  baptism  for  a  long  time, 
they  turn  away  and  often  become  implacable  enemies  of 
Christianity.  In  all  cases  it  is  much  harder  to  win  them 
back. 

Other  religions  are  seeking  the  outcastes  and  will  re- 
ceive them  unless  Christianity  speedily  opens  the  door.  The 
reforming  cult  of  Hinduism  is  eagerly  seeking  to  keep  the 
untouchables  from  Christianity.  Even  more  formidable  is 
the  Mohammedan,  with  his  incessant  appeal  to  the  depressed 
classes  by  an  offer  of  brotherhood.  The  masses  in  many 
sections  of  India  hesitate  between  Mohammed  and  Christ. 
Once  lost  to  Christianity  they  will  be  diflScult,  if  not  im- 
possible, to  recover. 

The  alternative  of  bringing  multitudes  into  the  Chris- 
tian Church  without  sufficient  training  is  even  more  danger- 
ous. Under  such  a  process  the  church  would  soon  lose  its 
Christian  distinctiveness  and  be  submerged  into  the  sur- 


LEAVEN  OF  FREEDOM  AT  WORK     107 

rounding  Hinduism.  Such  tragedies  have  often  happened 
in  Christian  history,  notably  in  North  Africa  and  Syria,  and 
there  is  a  very  real  crisis  on  in  that  respect  in  India  to-day. 
''If  the  salt  has  lost  its  savor,  it  is  good  for  nothing  but  to  be 
cast  out."  If  the  church  is  swamped  with  uninstructed  ad- 
herents and  becomes  a  mixture  of  Christianity  and  Hindu- 
ism, it  will  be  powerless  to  save  India. 

The  Call  of  the  Hour 

The  Centenary  program  is  leading  the  Methodist 
Church  along  the  only  safe  path  in  this  crucial  opportunity. 
It  seeks  to  provide  the  facilities  for  shepherding  these  people 
who  are  thrusting  themselves  against  the  church  doors  and 
educating  them,  particularly  the  children.  This  will  re- 
quire large  additions  to  the  force  of  missionaries  and  to  the 
force  of  teachers,  provisions  for  training  teachers,  and  to  the 
number  of  village  and  rural  schools.  At  least  1,300  rural 
teachers  and  400  village  and  rural  schools  are  called  for  in 
the  program.  There  are  60,000  Methodist  boys  and  girls 
who  are  entirely  without  schools,  four  fifths  of  the  total 
number  of  Methodist  children.  This  number  increases  at 
the  rate  of  5,000  a  year.  Unless  this  situation  is  corrected 
the  church  is  in  great  danger  of  being  half  heathenized  in  a 
few  years. 

In  addition  to  providing  education  for  the  illiterate  and 
neglected  children  of  the  mass  movement  areas,  a  large  in- 
crease in  the  evangelistic  forces,  both  foreign  and  native,  is 
required  for  the  large  and  increasing  task  of  training  the 
converts  coming  at  the  rate  of  40,000  or  50,000  a  year. 
About  275  additional  rural  chapels,  with  75  missionaries  and 
over  1,000  native  workers,  are  called  for  as  a  minimum. 
Every  estimate  of  forces  needed  seems  small  when  we  re- 
member that  Methodism's  share  of  India's  population  for 
which  she  is  responsible  is  54,000,000  and  of  the  50,000,000 
of  the  depressed  classes  among  which  the  mass  movement  is 
going  on,  it  is  responsible  for  6,000,000. 


108    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

The  Educational  Progkam 

Christianity  in  every  land  must  conquer  at  the  top  as 
well  as  at  the  bottom.  It  has  always  done  so.  While  it  is 
true  that  in  the  early  days  of  the  church  "not  many  wise,  not 
many  noble"  were  called,  it  is  also  true  that  the  most  signal 
successes  of  Christianity  have  been  won  under  the  leadership 
of  highly  trained  men  such  as  Paul  and  Augustine.  It  was 
so  in  the  days  of  Luther  and  Wesley.  It  will  be  so  in  India. 
In  the  intellectual  and  religious  unrest  among  the  student 
class  of  India  to-day  there  is  a  real  opportunity.  There  is  a 
wide  restlessness  and  ferment  among  the  higher  castes  and 
educated  classes  which  miakes  for  a  new  accessibility  to 
Christianity.  In  the  words  of  J.  H.  Oldham,  "the  new 
knowledge  has  kindled  new  desires,  created  new  demands, 
and  set  new  dreams  coursing  through  men's  brains. 
Western  knowledge  is  slowly  but  surely  undermining  the 
whole  fabric  of  Hinduism. ' '  ^  Caste  is  being  discovered  as 
an  institution  which  thwarts  the  national  unity  which  India 
desires.  The  worship  of  Hindu  deities  and  the  priestly  cere- 
monies of  the  Brahmans  are  things  in  which  an  educated 
man  can  no  longer  believe.  The  awakened  national  con- 
sciousness has  led  to  a  vigorous  revival  of  all  things  Indian, 
religion  as  well  as  literature  and  art,  but  that  has  been  ac- 
companied by  "a  continuous  and  steadily  increasing  inner 
decay. ' '  ^  The  Hindu  system  is  threatened  with  inward  col- 
lapse. 

For  such  a  time  as  this  a  strong  type  of  educated  Chris- 
tian leadership  is  needed.  Existing  Christian  colleges  must 
be  strengthened  and  endowment  provided  sufficient  to  insure 
an  efficient  staff,  necessary  new  buildings  and  adequate 
equipment.  The  government  schools  cannot  supply  Chris- 
tian leaders.  They  are  anti-Christian  in  sentiment  and  en- 
tirely secular  in  character.  The  government  contributes 
liberally  to  the  cost  of  mission  schools  and  colleges,  provided 

*  The  World  and  the  Gospel,  p.  100. 

*  J.  N.  Farquhar,  Modern  Religious  Movements  in  India,  p.  431. 


LEAVEN  OF  FREEDOM  AT  WORK     109 

they  are  well  equipped  and  maintain  high  standards.  The 
higher  educational  institutions  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
three  colleges  and  28  high  schools,  afford  an  opportunity  to 
reach  the  upper  class  of  Hindu  and  Moslem  youth.  Over 
40,000  students  are  already  enrolled  in  a  well  related  system 
of  education  through  kindergarten  to  university. 

Christian  Literature 

Let  no  one  think  that  because  the  percentage  of  illiter- 
acy is  so  high  in  India  there  is  little  place  for  Christian  lit- 
erature. The  printing  press  is  already  a  power  in  the  land 
through  its  influence  with  those  who  do  read ;  and  the  educa- 
tional awakening  is  bringing  the  press  to  a  position  of  domi- 
nating influence.  The  educated  classes  of  the  population  are 
gfeat  readers.  The  social  and  educational  advance  vastly 
increases  the  need  of  endowed  Christian  presses  which  can 
produce  Christian  literature  of  a  high  type  in  large  quan- 
tities. A  new  interpretation  of  Christianity  must  be  made 
and  circulated  to  meet  the  new  spirit  of  sympathetic  inquiry 
now  abroad.  In  addition  to  this  fertile  field  for  literary 
evangelism,  the  rapidly  expanding  Christian  community  de- 
mands an  adequate  literature  in  its  own  languages. 

The  two  presses  of  the  Methodist  Church,  one  at  Luck- 
now  and  one  at  Madras,  have  had  a  remarkable  record  of 
service.  A  permanent  fund  for  publishing  Christian  liter- 
ature is  needed  and  the  Centenary  program  for  India  in- 
cludes such  a  fund. 

The  Romance  op  Providence 

There  has  been  the  romance  of  Providence  over  the 
whole  Christian  enterprise  in  India.  Great  names  spangle 
the  sky  like  stars,  such  as  those  of  Carey  and  Alexander 
Duff.  It  contains  the  largest  Christian  community  in  any 
mission  field.  There  has  been  a  strange  romance  in  the  his- 
tory of  Methodism  in  India — a  history  in  which  great  names 


110    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

gleam  forth:  William  Butler,  William  Taylor,  James  M. 
Thoburn,  and  Isabella  Tlioburn.  William  Butler  landed  in 
India  in  1857,  barely  sixty  years  ago,  as  the  first  Methodist 
missionary.  It  took  long,  painful  years  to  collect  a  few 
dozen  converts.  James  M.  Thoburn  had  one  baptism  to 
show  for  his  first  year 's  labor,  and  at  the  close  of  the  second 
year  had  won  only  six  converts.  To-day  there  is  a  mem- 
bership of  the  Methodist  Church  in  India  of  over  335,000 
members,  with  the  rate  of  increase  rising  each  year. 

Christ  and  the  Millions 

But  not  merely  in  terms  of  opportunity,  great  as  it 
may  be,  and  certainly  not  in  any  columns  of  figures  can  the 
appeal  of  India  be  put.  Its  deepest  appeal  is  to  the  heart ; 
the  appeal  of  "the  great  burning  heart  of  Asia"  that  for 
ages  has  cried  out  for  the  living  God  and  been  baffled  in  its 
search;  the  appeal  of  toiling,  suffering,  hungry  millions; 
the  appeal  of  millions  of  wronged  children  and  defrauded 
and  depressed  women. 

We  return  to  the  question  with  which  we  started, ' '  What 
do  you  think  of  when  you  think  of  India?"  The  question 
was  suddenly  put  to  a  native  Christian  woman,  for  years  a 
teacher  in  a  woman's  Christian  college.  Her  eyes  glistened 
as  she  made  her  answer: 

*' I  think  of  Christ" 


Africa  has  suffered  many  wrongs  in  the  past  at  the  hands  of  the 
stronger  nations  of  Christendom,  and  she  is  suffering  wrongs  at  their 
hands  to-day ;  but  the  greatest  wrong,  and  that  from  which  she  is  suffer- 
ing most,  is  being  inflicted  by  the  Church  of  Christ.  It  consists  in  with- 
holding from  so  many  of  her  children  the  knowledge  of  Christ. — Be- 
ports  of  World's  Missionary  Conference,  Edinburgh. 

The  problem  with  which  we  are  confronted  in  Africa  is  one  of  the 
great  issueg  of  history.  Have  we  eyes  to  see  its  immense  significance? 
Shall  the  African  races  be  enabled  to  develop  their  latent  gifts,  to 
create  a  characteristic  life  of  their  own,  and  so  enrich  the  life  of  hu- 
manity by  their  distinctive  contributions?  Or  shall  they  be  depressed 
and  degraded,  and  m'ade  the  tool  of  others,  the  instrument  of  their  gain, 
the  victim  of  their  greed  and  lust? — /.  H.  Oldham,  The  World  and  the 
Oospel. 


CHAPTER  V 
FLOOD  TIDE  IN  THE  DESTINY  OF  AFRICA 

' '  The  Next  Tinder-Box  of  the  World  ' ' 

Such  is  the  startling  description  which  H.  G.  Wells 
gives  of  what  Africa  may  become.  It  is  a  graphic  statement 
of  the  central  importance  of  Africa  in  the  Peace  Conference 
which  will  conclude  the  war  and  the  century  which  follows  it. 
We  cannot  contemplate  the  ruin  which  has  followed  the 
flare-up  in  "the  tinder-box  of  the  Balkans"  in  the  present 
war,  without  realizing  the  gravity  of  the  question  of  the 
disposition  of  Africa.  '*A  muddling  in  Africa  this  year," 
says  Mr.  Wells,  ''may  kill  your  son  and  mine  in  the  next 
decade. ' '  In  The  New  Map  of  Africa,  Herbert  A.  Gibbons 
echoes  the  same  warning.  ''The  happiness  of  our  children, 
in  a  world  where  peace  and  harmony  reign,  depends  much 
on  the  new  map  of  Africa. ' '  ^ 

Africa  and  the  Future 

The  seeds  of  many  of  the  international  rivalries  which 
bore  fruit  in  the  present  conflict  were  in  Africa.  And  if  the 
nations  of  Europe  in  the  years  to  come  regard  Africa  as  so 
much  loot  to  be  grabbed  in  a  selfish  and  jealous  spirit  and 
exploited  with  no  regard  for  the  benefit  of  the  people  of 
Africa,  they  will  lay  up  for  themselves  the  certainty  of 
future  conflict. 

There  is  a  far-reaching  significance  in  the  presence  on 
the  battle  line  of  the  many  varieties  of  soldiers  from  Africa 
fighting  under  the  flags  of  France  and  England,  Belgium 


'■  H.  A.  Gibbons,  The  New  Map  of  Africa,  p.  491. 

113 


114    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

and  Italy.  In  one  sense  it  is  not  their  war,  in  that  they  have 
no  nation  of  their  own  to  fight  for.  But  in  another  sense  it 
is  emphatically  their  war,  for  they  will  be  affected  by  the 
outcome  and  the  settlement  moist  take  large  account  of  them. 
Because  Africa  is  under  control  of  one  or  another  of  the 
European  nations,  it  will  be  more  vitally  affected  by  the  ulti- 
mate decision  of  the  present  war  than  any  of  the  main  geo- 
graphical divisions  of  the  earth  save  only  Europe.  The 
welfare  and  destiny  of  Africa  are  inextricably  interlocked 
with  the  welfare  and  destiny  of  Europe  and  the  world.  A 
wise  statesmanship  must  find  some  other  role  for  the  great 
continent  of  Africa  than  merely  that  of  a  bone  of  contention. 

The  Religious  Destiny  or  the  Continent 

The  question  of  the  religious  development  of  Africa  can- 
not be  separated  from  its  tremendous  importance  in  the 
future  of  the  world.  What  kind  of  social  ideals  and  reli- 
gious ideas  and  practices  control  the  life  of  the  130,000,000 
or  more  of  the  poj^ulation  of  Africa  will  be  of  vast  concern 
to  the  world.  However  far  native  Africa  may  be  from  the 
power  of  self-government,  the  trend  of  movement  in  the  pres- 
ent century  will  be  undeniably  in  the  direction  of  a  larger 
measure  of  self-rule  for  all  peoples.  The  great  war  for 
democracy  which  is  shaking  the  world  is  bound  to  change 
current  conceptions  of  the  justice  of  regarding  any  race  as 
a  ''subject  race."  Liberal  Europe  cannot  fight  against 
autocracy  and  at  the  same  time  perpetuate  it  in  its  treat- 
ment of  subject  colonies.  H.  G.  Wells  may  be  too  eager  a 
proi^het  in  his  statement,  ''Long  before  A.  D.  2100  there  will 
be  no  such  thing  as  a  subject  race  in  all  the  world."  ^  Time 
alone  can  tell.  But  he  has  stated  the  direction  in  which  the 
world  is  swiftly  moving.  Surely,  there  can  be  no  argument 
over  the  absolute  necessity  for  the  great  mass  of  backward, 
pagan  Africa  to  have  the  mental  enlightenment,  social  uplift 
and  spiritual  truth  of  Christianity  before  it  is  ready  for  the 
'  H.  G.  Wells,  What  is  Coming,  p.  240. 


FLOOD  TIDE  IN  DESTINY  OF  AFRICA       115 

first  step  of  self-government.  More  than  that,  Christian 
influence  is  necessary  in  order  that  Africa  may  be  able  to 
secure  the  largest  benefits  of  European  nile. 

The  appeal  of  Africa  comes  to  the  Christian  world  to- 
day with  a  double  force.  It  is  the  old  and  changeless  appeal 
of  any  people  in  need  of  the  uplifting  power  of  the  gospel, 
the  call  of  physical  suffering,  mental  and  spiritual  darkness, 
which  Christian  love  must  answer.  But  there  is  also  the 
urgent  necessity  to-day  of  supplying  the  transforming  and 
enlightening  influences  of  Christianity  so  that  developing 
Africa,  destined  to  hold  so  important  a  place  in  the  world's 
life,  may  not  be  a  menace  to  the  world's  highest  progress. 

Africa's  ''Hat  Is  iisr  the  Ring" 

In  these  days  of  military  stride,  Africa,  in  the  words  of 
General  J.  C.  Smuts,  the  former  Boer  leader  and  present 
English  general,  "has  marched  with  great  suddenness  to  the 
center  of  the  European  stage,  and  must  henceforth  pro- 
foundly influence  the  problems  of  its  statesmanship."^ 
Long,  long  lines  of  men  from  Africa  have  landed  at  Mar- 
seilles and  other  ports  of  France  to  fight  the  battles  of  free- 
dom. From  Algiers  and  Tunis  and  Egypt  they  have  come, 
dark-skinned,  strong  as  steel,  quick  of  eye.  From  the 
Soudan  and  Central  Africa  they  have  poured  in.  This  land- 
ing in  France  is  a  living  symbol  of  the  landing  of  Africa 
in  the  consciousness  of  Europe  and  the  world.  It  must  be  the 
sign  also  of  the  landing  of  Africa  on  the  conscience  and 
heart  of  Christendom.  The  future  of  Africa  has  as  import- 
ant a  bearing  on  the  future  of  Christianity  as  it  has  on  the 
political  arrangements  of  the  world.  Aside  from  future  im- 
portance, however,  is  the  great  consideration  of  justice 
which  should  move  both  state  and  church  to  Africa 's  welfare. 
Here  are  these  representatives  of  Africa  fighting  for  the 
world's  freedom,  thousands  giving  their  lives  for  justice  and 
for  opportunity.  In  all  fairness,  do  they  not  deserve  some 
*  The  Geographical  Journal,  March,  1918. 


116    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

for  themselves  ?  Does  not  fairness  demand  of  every  govern- 
ing nation  in  Africa  that  the  political  ideal  shall  be  the  wel- 
fare of  the  governed  peoples?  And  does  not  fairness  de- 
mand of  the  Church  of  Christ  that  the  millions  of  Africa,  a 
great  orphanage  of  backward  children,  be  given  the  Chris- 
tian education  and  healing  and  teaching  which  shall  lead 
them  out  into  spiritual  freedom? 

The  Rock  of  Gibraltar 

The  approach  to  Africa  from  the  north  is  by  the  Rock 
of  Gibraltar  and  Gibraltar  is  a  fit  symbol  for  Africa  in 
Christian  history.  It  has  been  a  Gibraltar  to  Christian 
missions — a  continent  of  superlative  obstacles,  of  deadly 
oppositions,  of  impenetrable  darkness  until  two  genera- 
tions ago.  And  yet,  with  a  glaring  contrast  to  all  this  dark 
side,  it  has  to  show  some  of  the  greatest  triumphs  of  Chris- 
tiansuccess  in  the  conversion  of  whole  tribes  which  have 
been  achieved  in  any  land  or  at  any  age.  It  had  always  had 
a  magnetic,  mysterious  pull  on  great  souls,  and  without  any 
question  it  has  the  longest  and  brightest  line  of  truly  great 
missionaries  of  any  mission  field  on  earth.  But,  after  all, 
the  contrast  is  not  so  hard  to  explain.  It  is  simply  the  old, 
old  law,  that  the  hardest  tasks  always  attract  the  greatest 
and  most  daring  men. 

^'I  Dare  You" 

Nearly  every  fact  in  African  geography  has  been  a 
bolted  door  to  Christian  advance.  Physical  and  social  fea- 
tures of  the  land  have  shouted  ''I  dare  you"  into  Christian 
ears.  Christian  missions  in  Africa  have  relativelyiJ^s^  to 
show  than  in  any  other  continent,  and  many  of  the  reasons 
are  not  far  to  seek. 

Begin  with  the  size  of  the  continent.  Look  at  the  map 
on  the  next  page,  with  a  large  section  of  the  world  tucked 
away  in  its  corners,  as  though  Africa  were  a  large  bag  into 
which  some  giant  had  hurriedly  dumped  half  the  globe. 


FLOOD  TIDE  IN  DESTINY  OF  AFRICA       117 

How  snugly  our  own  mighty  United  States  nestles  up  in 
one  coiner!  China  and  India  do  not  crowd  it  at  all,  with 
plenty  of  room  for  Europe  and  Argentina.    It  is  approxi- 


COMPARATIVE  SIZE  OF  AFRICA 

Notice  how  easily  Africa's  great  bulk  accommodates  the  United  States,  France,  Germany,  the 
British  Isles,  Norway,  Sweden,  Argentina,  China  and  India. 


mately  G,000  by  5,000  miles,  over  three  times  as  large  as 
Europe  and  half  as  large  again  as  North  America.  It  is  as 
far  around  the  coast  of  Africa  as  it  is  around  the  world. 
To  this  large  expanse  must  be  added  the  fact  that  the  large 


lis    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

island  section  of  tlie  continent  is  exceedingly  difficult  of 
access. 

The  climate  has  been  a  high  barrier  to  missionary  effort. 
Many  mission  enterprises  have  been  stopped  by  tragedies 
like  that  which  overtook  Methodism's  first  foreign  mission- 
ary, Melville  Cox,  who  died  of  fever  in  Liberia  four  months 
after  landing.  The  low-lying  coast  strip  of  a  few  hundred 
miles  is  a  particularly  unhealthy  climate.  Farther  inland 
the  climate  of  the  central  plateau  is  more  healthful,  although 
through  the  whole  of  Central  Africa  the  climate  is  hard  on 
the  white  man. 

Danger  has  been  a  real  deterrent  to  Europeans  and 
Americans  in  Africa.  Tigers,  cobras,  and  lions  are  far  more 
attractive  in  the  zoo  than  they  are  in  the  jungle.  The  savage 
tribes  have  taken  a  large  toll  of  death,  and  travel  in  the 
interior  until  recent  years  has  been  precarious. 

Lack  of  exploration  prevented  missionary  occupation. 
The  intrepid  spirit  of  Livingstone  was  the  first  to  draw  the 
veil  from  Central  Africa,  and  he  has  been  dead  only  forty- 
five  years. 

The  Tower  of  Babel  in  Africa  has  offered  hindrances 
of  843  different  varieties.  There  are  843  varieties  of  speech 
in  Africa,  the  vast  majority  of  which  the  missionary  must 
reduce  to  writing  for  the  first  time  and  patiently  and  pain- 
fully evolve  a  dictionary  and  grammar  for  them.  The  mis- 
sionaries and  Bible  Societies  have  accomplished  the  stu- 
pendous task  of  translating  and  printing  the  Scriptures  into 
100  African  tongues,  but  there  are  still  423  tongues  without 
the  word  of  God !  There  are  543  distinct  languages  and  300 
dialects. 

Finally  the  savage  state  of  the  people  makes  the  task  a 
larger  one  than  that  of  a  land  with  an  ancient  civilization, 
such  as  India  or  China.  Everything  must  be  taught.  Words 
for  the  most  elementary  Christian  terms  and  ideas  must 
often  be  invented.  The  process  of  education  is  necessarily  a 
slow  and  exhausting  one.  To  the  difficulty  of  making  an 
approach  to  the  pagan  must  be  added  the  fact  of  North 


FLOOD  TIDE  IN  DESTINY  OF  AFRICA       119 

Africa's  domination  by  Mohammedanism,  a  religion  which 
has  been  through  all  Christian  history  the  hardest  to  over- 
throw. 

The  Top  of  the  Morning 

So  much  for  the  obstacles.  Many  of  them  remain  and 
will  remain  for  generations.  Nevertheless,  such  a  picture 
leaves  out  some  of  the  most  striking  characteristics  of  the 
Africa  of  to-day.  For  Africa  stands  to-day  not  at  midnight, 
which  settled  over  her  for  centuries,  but  at  the  top  of  the 
morning.  The  opening  up  of  Africa  to  European  civiliza- 
tion has  been  progressing  at  a  surprising  speed.  In  1875  not 
more  than  a  tenth  of  Africa  was  under  white  dominion.  To- 
day the  whole  of  the  continent,  with  the  exception  of  Abys- 
sinia and  the  small  Negro  republic  of  Liberia,  is  under 
European  rule — all  in  forty-three  years!  "Black  Man's 
Africa"  is  no  more.  The  European  powers  have  spent 
enormous  sums  in  the  development  of  their  African  posses- 
sions. Steamship  lines  have  been  projected  and  great  rail- 
way systems  have  been  built  far  into  the  interior. 

The  world  has  come  upon  the  native  with  a  bewildering 
rush,  with  its  railways,  steamboats,  electric  cars,  planta- 
tions, factories,  mines,  laws,  taxes,  magistrates,  police.  In 
South  Africa,  under  British  government,  a  great  industrial 
European  civilization  has  sprung  into  being  with  large  cities 
and  the  richest  mines  in  the  world.  The  whole  equipment  of 
modern  civilization  is  moving  inland  from  all  directions, 
including  the  cultivation  of  plantations,  cattle  ranches,  mer- 
cantile establishments,  forts,  army  posts,  city  and  territorial 
governments,  agricultural  implements,  and  industrial  ma- 
chinery. Railway  systems  of  twenty-five  thousand  miles  are 
now  in  operation,  nine  tenths  of  which  are  included  in  the 
British  systems  of  the  Nile  Valley  and  South  Africa  and  the 
French  systems  of  Algeria  and  Tunis.  The  Cape-to-Cairo 
Railwaj^  which  was  near  completion  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war,  will  bring  the  southern  tip  of  Africa  within  ten  days 
of  London  and  Paris.     The  barred  door  is  swinging  and 


120    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

Africa  is  seeing  a  development  which  greatly  multiplies  its 
openness  to  Christian  missions,  and,  as  we  shall  see,  its 
urgent  need  of  them. 

Chicago  Moves  to  North  Africa 

If  you  still  think  of  the  Pyramids  and  the  Sphinx  as  the 
most  exciting  things  in  North  Africa,  you  are  almost  as  far 
behind  the  times  as  the  mummies  themselves !  In  the  French- 
controlled  countries  of  Algeria,  Morocco,  and  Tunis  and  in 
Egypt  under  British  control,  modern  cities  have  been  reared 
which  make  the  American  visitor  think  he  is  looking  at  a 
mirage.  The  European  population  of  North  Africa  is  over 
a  million  and  is  increasing.  Algiers,  a  city  of  200,000,  is 
largely  European.  Out  of  its  population  70,000  are  French 
and  42,000  other  foreigners.  Oran,  on  the  coast  of  Algeria, 
is  a  young  and  rapidly  growing  Chicago  of  100,000  poj^u- 
lation,  with  apartment  houses,  boulevards,  and  imposing 
public  buildings.  Constantine,  in  Algeria,  is  another  bus- 
tling city  of  250,000,  largely  Europeanized.  There  are  over 
16,000,000  people  in  North  Africa,  and  the  region  is  capable 
of  supporting  many  more.  The  picturesque  days  of  the 
pirates  of  Tripoli  and  Algiers,  with  which  is  associated 
such  a  stirring  chapter  of  American  naval  history,  are  over, 
and  the  swift  modernization  of  North  Africa  has  displaced 
the  old  fanatical  exclusiveness  and  changeless  modes  of  life 
and  thought  and  thrown  open  that  whole  section  of  Africa  to 
new  influences. 

Enter — the  War 

Prophesying  just  where  a  tornado  will  hit,  or  indicating 
just  what  buildings  and  fences  it  will  topple  over,  is  uncer- 
tain business.  Particularly  in  connection  with  so  great  a 
tornado  as  the  present  war,  is  it  impossible  to  say  just  what 
effect  it  will  have.  Nevertheless,  when  the  tornado  of  war 
has  already  flattened  ancient  fences  it  is  permissible  to 
record  the  fact,  without  indulging  in  loose  prophesying.  It 
is  easy  to  see  two  clear  results  of  the  war  on  the  Christian 


FLOOD  TIDE  IN  DESTINY  OF  AFRICA       121 

opportunity  in  Africa.  The  first  is  that  the  political  power 
of  Mohammedanism  has  toppled  like  a  house  of  cards.  The 
war  has  divided  the  house  against  itself  in  such  a  way  that 
the  prestige  of  Islam  will  never  recover.  The  old  dream  of 
a  united  Moslem  world  of  200,000,000  is  a  hopeless  one.  The 
Mohamm-edans  of  India  and  Africa  have  been  fighting 
against  their  brothers  in  the  faith  in  Constantinople. 
Turkey  is  the  only  self-governing  country  left  of  all  the 
lands  once  ruled  by  the  followers  of  Mohammed.  The 
proclamation  of  a  holy  war  by  the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  bidding 
all  Moslems  to  rally  to  the  defense  of  the  faith,  had  no  effect 
whatever,  showing  clearly  that  national  bonds  have  been 
substituted  for  the  religious  one.  The  second  effect  has  been 
the  new  contacts  established  by  Mohammedans  and  the  open- 
ing of  new  doors  to  European  and  Christian  influence. 
Doors  closed  for  centuries  have  been  blown  open,  as  it  were, 
by  the  dynamite  of  the  world  war.  This  does  not  mean  that 
the  conversion  of  Islamic  Africa  has  become  in  any  sense  an 
easy  problem.  Far  from  it;  but  it  does  mean  that  a  new 
approachability  has  been  established ;  and  if  we  believe  in  a 
divine  purpose  at  work  in  human  life,  we  cannot  neglect  its 
meaning  of  responsibility  and  opportunity  for  the  Christian 
Church. 

The  Three  Problems  of  Africa 

Africa  to-day  from  the  Christian  standpoint,  like  all 
Gaul  in  Caesar's  time,  is  divided  into  three  parts.  In  the 
north  is  Mohammedan  Africa,  with  a  population  of  40,000,- 
000,  the  base  of  the  movement  of  Mohammedanism  to  the 
south.  In  the  south  is  the  commercial  European  civilization 
which  is  just  as  real  a  peril  in  another  way  to  the  welfare  of 
Africa.  There  are  10,000,000  in  this  civilized,  European- 
ized,  nominally  Christian  South  Africa.  Between  these  two 
advancing  forces  on  the  north  and  south  is  Central,  pagan 
Africa  with  80,000,000.  The  great  majority  are  still  in  an 
uncivilized  state,-  devotees  of  pagan  religions  that  are 
doomed,  backward  children  in  mind,  the  easy  victims  of 


122    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

exploitation  accompanied  with  the  white  man's  vices,  and 
the  easy  prey  to  the  Mohammedan  zealot.  Surely,  such  a 
spectacle  cannot  fail  to  move  the  noblest  feelings  of  the 
church  and  call  forth  the  best  in  her. 

The  Mohammedan  Pekil 

The  Mohammedan  invasion  of  Africa  from  the  north, 
now  resulting  in  the  wholesale  conversion  of  native  tribes,  is 
the  most  vigorous  antagonistic  force  which  Christianity  is 
meeting  anywhere  on  earth.  It  is  probably  not  too  much  to 
say  that  it  is  the  most  active  opposition  which  it  has  met 
since  the  followers  of  Mohammed  broke  forth  in  their  first 
fury  in  the  seventh  century.  Many  Christian  leaders  in  all 
parts  of  the  world  regard  this  Mohammedan  advance  in 
Central  Africa  as  the  greatest  crisis  before  the  Christian 
Churches  to-day.  South  from]  the  lands  that  front  on  the 
Mediterranean  Sea  and  west  from  Egypt  and  the  Soudan, 
Islam  is  thrusting  itself  into  pagan  Central  Africa.  The 
faith  is  being  carried  with  a  zeal  that  puts  all  other  religions, 
including  Christianity,  to  shame.  It  is  not  the  work  of  official 
leaders  so  much  as  the  pressing  concern  of  every  Moham- 
medan. Formerly  Islam  followed  the  track  of  Moslem  con- 
querors. Later  it  propagated  itself  along  the  slave  routes. 
To-day  it  goes  along  the  trade  pathways,  and  it  is  one  of  the 
ironies  of  history  that  the  introduction  of  modern  civiliza- 
tion into  Africa,  by  railways,  good  roads,  and  development 
of  trade,  has  been  a  large  factor  in  making  a  new  Moham- 
medan advance  possible.  The  movement  which  is  winning 
the  tribes  of  Central  Africa  to  Islam  is  to-day  more  wide- 
spread, more  insidious  than  ever,  and  as  certain  as  the 
rising  tide.  The  mierchants  carry  the  Koran  and  the  Moslem 
catechism  wherever  they  carry  their  merchandise.  The 
Mosque  follows  the  trader.  All  ranks  of  men  are  propa- 
gandists : 

"Rich  man,  poor  man,  beggar  man;  thief, 
Doctor,  lawyer,  merchant,  chief." 


FLOOD  TIDE  IN  DESTINY  OF  AFRICA       123 

The  Victory  of  the  Crescent 

The  most  arresting  fact  in  connection  with  this  advance 
is  that  pagan  Africa  is  becoming  Mohammedan  far  more 
rapidly  than  it  is  becoming  Christian.  For  every  33  natives 
who  become  Christians  100  become  Mohammedans.  In  the 
Soudan  there  is  only  one  Christian  missionary  for  every 
100,000,  while  every  Mohammedan  that  comes  along  is  a 
worker  for  Islam.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  Crescent  is  de- 
feating the  Cross  in  the  conflict?  The  Mohammedan  gain  is 
so  great  that  many  observers  have  regarded  the  outcome  as 
already  settled,  that  pagan  Africa  will  become  Moham- 
medan.^ 

It  is  in  Africa  alone  that  Islam  is  making  any  such 
advance.  In  India  it  is  not  keeping  pace  with  Christianity 
at  all.  According  to  the  last  census  in  India,  Mohammedans 
increased  only  at  the  rate  of  6.7  as  compared  with  an  in- 
crease of  32  per  cent  for  Christians.  At  the  time  when 
Islam  is  losing  its  prestige  and  relative  power  elsewhere, 
shall  Christians  allow  it  to  gain  a  new  continent-wide 
dominion  in  Africa,  whence  it  can  propagate  itself  for 
centuries  to  come?  To  win  the  continent  of  Africa  away 
from  Islam  is  thus,  then,  to  be  a  service  to  the  Christianiza- 
tion  of  all  the  world,  and  to  lose  Central  Africa  will  be  to 
cripple  the  Christian  enterprise  in  all  non-Christian  lands, 
perhaps  for  centuries. 

The  Appeajl,  of  Islam 

There  are  many  elements  in  the  success  of  Islam  among 
the  natives.  It  is  proi)agated  by  traders,  hence  it  is  often  to 
the  native's  economic  advantage  to  accept  the  trader's  reli- 
gion along  with  his  dry  goods.  The  Mohammedan  creed  is 
simple:  "There  is  no  god  but  God:  Mohammed  is  his 
prophet."  It  is  an  easy  faith  to  pass  along.  It  is  held  by 
the  Mohammedan  with  flaming  conviction.  It  comes  to  the 
African  from  a.  man  much  more  like  himself  than  the  "white- 
faced"  Christian  missionary.    It  makes  no  hard  moral  de- 

^H.  G.  Wells,  What  is  Comlny,  p.  247. 


124    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

mands,  allows  polygamy  and  many  pagan  customs  to  exist 
undisturbed.  In  addition  to  these  reasons,  there  is  the  fact 
that  Mohammedanism  is  undeniably  favored  by  European 
governments  such  as  England  and  France.  Christian  mis- 
sionaries have  been  forbidden  to  work  in  areas  designated 
by  the  governments  as  Moslem. ^  This  is  done  through  fear 
of  the  Moslem  chiefs  and  the  desire  to  refrain  from  arousing 
their  enmity.  It  is  easy  to  understand  this  motive  of  polit- 
ical expediency,  but  it  has  made  the  governments  practical 
partners  in  the  spread  of  the  Mohammedan  religion. 

Is  Mohammedanism  a  Step  to  Christianity.^ 

Two  classes  of  people  will  say,  "Why  be  concerned  over 
this  sweeping  invasion  of  Mohammedanism?"  One  class 
believes  that  it  is  the  best  religion  for  the  natives.  The  other 
believes  that  it  is  a  half-way  house  to  Christianity.  Both 
are  wrong.  All  experience  proves  that  it  is  much  harder  to 
win  men  from  Mohammedanism  to  Christianity  than  it  is  to 
win  them  from  their  native  paganism. 

As  for  Islam  being  a  good-enough  religion  for  Africans, 
God  forbid  that  any  Christian  should  ever  retreat  from  the 
position  that  no  religion  is  good  enough  for  any  child  of  God 
except  the  revelation  of  his  love  in  Jesus  Christ.  Moham- 
medanism brings  to  the  savage  in  Africa  many  benefits.  It 
brings  clothing,  some  learning  and  the  abolition  of  many  de- 
grading superstitions.  It  inculcates  temperance  and  clean- 
liness. On  the  other  hand,  it  degrades  womanhood,  allows 
polygamy  and  sensuality.  It  lays  the  dead  hand  of  an  iron 
tradition  on  all  mental  and  moral  progress.  It  fosters  the 
spirit  of  hate  and  violence.  Its  ideal  of  life  as  portrayed  in 
Mohammed  is  worlds  below  that  portrayed  in  Christ.  It  is 
a  backward  force  socially  and  politically. 

"They  Shall  Not  Pass" 

The  supreme  demand  of  the  hour  is  to  throw  across 
Central  Africa  from  the  western  to  the  eastern  coast  a  line 
^  Patton,  The  Lure  of  Africa,  p.  64. 


FLOOD  TIDE  IN  DESTINY  OF  AFRICA       125 

of  mission  stations  which  shall  effectually  occupy  the  vacant 
areas  and  stop  the  advancing  Mohammedan  wave.  There  is 
need  in  Africa  for  the  equivalent  of  that  line  before  Ver- 
dun which  gave  to  the  world  the  deathless  watcliword,  ''They 
shall  not  pass."  There  are  vast  areas  in  Central  Africa 
inhabited  by  tribes  whose  evangelization  is  not  provided  for 
in  the  plans  of  any  missionary  society.  A  line  of  mission 
stations  across  the  continent  has  already  been  partly  flung 
and  in  this  line  the  Methodist  mission  in  Central  Africa 
plays  a  vital  and  strategic  part.  The  Centenary  survey 
plans  a  wise  strengthening  and  extension  of  its  activity. 

The  other  method  of  meeting  this  Mohammedan  peril  is 
to  meet  it  right  at  its  base  in  North  Africa,  and  that  also 
Methodism  is  doing.  It  has  laid  the  beginnings  of  mission 
stations  that  shall  take  hold  of  the  life  of  these  old  and 
solidly  Moslem  lands.  For,  as  has  been  well  pointed  out, 
''We  have  not  only  to  stay  the  advance  of  Islam  in  Africa, 
we  are  to  win  the  Moslem  world  in  Africa  for  Christ;  and 
until  the  foundations  of  Islam  in  the  north  are  shaken,  the 
Christianity  that  may  be  established  in  Central  Africa  will 
be  perpetually  exposed  to  its  assaults."  ^  North  Africa  Mo- 
hammedanism is  a  hard  field.  To  convert  the  Mohammedan, 
some  one  has  said,  is  "to  get  the  proudest  man  on  earth  to 
take  the  thing  he  hates  from  the  hand  of  the  man  he 
despises."  No  easy  task  that.  Historically,  it  has  provided 
the  hardest  that  Christianity  has  ever  attempted.  She  has 
never  attempted  it  on  any  large  scale.  But  to-day  European 
influence  is  speedily  disintegrating  the  barriers  of  Moham- 
medan exclusiveness.  Islam  is  not  holding  its  own  against 
the  unbelief  which  is  flooding  it  from  European  civilization.^ 
There  is  large  new  promise  for  Christian  eif ort  in  Northern 
Africa. 

Pagan  Africa 

Eighty  millions  in  pagan  Africa,  the  largest  solid  block 


students  and  the  World-Wide  Expansion  of  Christianity,  p.  67. 
D.  B.  MacDonald,  Aspects  of  Islam,  p.  12. 


126    CHRTSTIAX  CRUSADE  FOE  DEMOCRACY 


of  paganism  in  the  world!  In  ntter  innocence  of  written 
language  for  the  most  part,  divided  against  any  solid  Chris- 
tian advance  by  a  multitude  of  languages  (six  hundred  and 


AFRICA 

Eighty  million  pagans  caught  between  two  forces.  Forty  million  Mohammedans  advancing 
from  the  north.  From  the  south,  commercialism  steaming  up  the  rivers,  and  building  steel  trails 
through  the  jungle. 

seventy  languages  and  dialects  have  not  yet  been  reduced  to 
writing),  it  is  under  the  dominion  of  the  crudest  supersti- 
tions, savage,  primitive,  and  childlike. 

Yet  this  one  thought  must  be  kept  in  mind  with  all  the 


FLOOD  TIDE  TX  DESTINY  OF  AFRICA       127 

obstacles.  In  pagan  Africa  are  eighty  millions  of  the  most 
accessible  people  on  earth.  Some  of  the  brightest  trophies 
of  the  cross  are  found  among  these  pagan  tribes,  "Kohinoor 
diamonds  of  the  King's  cr6wn."  Where  is  there  a  country 
that  for  missionary  romance  and  apostolic  success  can  sur- 
pass the  story  of  Uganda? 

The  need  of  Christianity  in  primitive,  childlike,  savage 
Africa  cannot  be  truh^  conceived  from  the  outside.  It  is  the 
land  where  fear  holds  sway.  A  hundred  evil  spirits  and  many 
hundred  cruel,  debasing,  and  destructive  superstitions  oc- 
cupy the  central  position  of  religion.  The  crude  conditions 
of  savagery,  with  its  cruelties,  take  a  large  toll  of  life.  The 
oppression  of  women,  marriage  by  barter,  polygamy, 
domestic  slavery,  the  neglect.and  suffering  of  childhood,  are 
constant  features  of  life.  There  is  no  attempt  at  education. 
"Apart  from  mission  stations,  they  do  not  even  know  that 
writing  has  been  invented."  ^  The  only  medicines  are  the 
useless  superstitions  of  the  witch  doctor,  and  the  death  rate 
mounts  accordingly.  While  the  native  African  is  the  spoiled 
child  of  nature,  in  so  far  as  prodigal  provision  of  food  is  con- 
cerned, lie  knows  so  little  of  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  that 
in  many  parts  of  the  continent  long  stretches  of  hunger  and 
famine  are  frequent. 

The  Demon  of  Civilization 

But  how  happy,  comparatively,  the  African  would  be  if 
those  were  all  his  troubles  and  perils !  There  is  rushing  in 
on  him,  principally  from  the  Christian  (mark  the  word!) 
civilization  of  South  Africa,  an  evil  spirit  far  more  terrible 
than  any  Mumbo  Juml)o  of  the  forest — the  spirit  com- 
mercial exploitation.  In  the  wake  of  the  steam  engine,  ])ush- 
ing  its  way  into  the  center  of  the  continent,  are  the  deadly 
attendants  of  the  white  man,  drunkenness  and  immorality, 
before  which  the  childlike  black  man  is  heli)less. 

How  we  must  bow  our  heads  and  blush  when  we  call  the 

■Murray,  The  Call  of  a  World  Task.  p.  117. 


128    CHEISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOE  DEMOCRACY 

commercial  greed  that  is  bringing  ruin  to  the  native  of 
Africa,  Christian!  How  much  we  prefer  to  call  it  '' West- 
ern" civilization  because  we  dare  not  say  Christian ! 

European  control  has  broiight  great  and  undeniable 
benefits  to  Africa.  Slave  raids  and  tribal  warfare  are 
largely  abolished.  Much  has  been  done  to  combat  disease 
and  famine.  Cruel  practices,  such  as  the  murder  of  twins, 
ordeals  of  i3oison,  etc.,  are  in  many  places  things  of  the  past. 
Standards  of  life  have  been  raised  and  laws  established. 
Education  has  been  provided  in  many  places.  Let  all  this  be 
freely  acknowledged.  Yet  there  is  the  other  side  of  the 
shield.  The  relations  of  Europe  to  Africa  have  been  stained 
by  the  hideous  iniquity  of  the  slave  traffic.  And  while  an  en- 
lightened conscience  has  practically  put  an  end  to  that,  the 
natives  are  still  exposed  to  the  danger  of  pitiless  exploita- 
tion by  the  white  race.  The  forced  labor,  the  introduction  of 
liquor  and  immorality  have  worked  such  havoc  that  it  is  a 
fair  conclusion  that  civilisation  has  brought  more  evil  than 
good  to  Africa. 

What  Christians  Must  Do 

The  Christian  cannot  settle  the  vexed  political  problems 
of  Africa,  but  Christians  in  Europe  and  America  can  do 
much  to  demand  that  the  ideal  of  government  in  Africa  shall 
be  for  the  benefit  of  the  African  and  not  for  commercial  gain. 
Government  is  a  help  or  hindrance  to  Christian  progress. 
Christians  cannot  effectually  teach  the  natives  a  gospel  of 
love  and  brotherhood,  when  a  so-called  Christian  govern- 
ment is  practicing  selfish  oppression  of  them.  Lest  we  in 
America  think  we  have  no  part  in  this  corruption,  note  the 
fact  that  in  1914-15  over  a  million  and  a  half  gallons  of  rum 
were  shipped  from  Boston !  An  international  agreement  to 
protect  Africa  from  this  murderous  traffic  must  be  made. 

The  gospel  of  Christ  must  be  supplied  to  the  African  to 
meet  his  great  needs,  and  to  prepare  him  to  withstand  the 
shock  of  the  advent  of  commercialized  civilization  with  all 
its  attendant  vices.    Western  civilization  is  already  violently 


FLOOD  TIDE  IN  DESTINY  OF  AFRICA       129 

disturbing  and  breaking  down  native  life  and  morality  and 
removing  old  restraints.  ''Unless  some  new  moral  sanctions 
can  be  supplied  to  take  the  place  of  those  swept  away,  the 
l^eople  are  left  unprotected  and  helpless,"  says  J.  H.  Old- 
ham, "to  face  the  overwhelming  temptations  to  which  they 
are  increasingly  exposed."  ^  A  new  spiritual  basis  must  be 
provided  for  the  life  of  the  people — and  the  Christian  reli- 
gion is  the  only  force  capable  of  achieving  the  necessary 
transformation. 

Africa  and  the  Centenary 

The  Methodist  Centenary  program  for  Africa  deals 
with  both  of  these  perils  of  Africa.  Look  at  the  map  and  let 
your  eye  grasp  the  generalship  of  our  location  in  Africa,  In 
North,  South,  West,  East,  and  Central  Africa  radiating 
centers  of  influence  are  already  located.  The  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  is  located  in  the  Mohammedan  strong- 
holds of  Algeria  and  Tunis ;  in  pagan  Africa,  in  Liberia  on 
the  west  coast,  farther  to  the  south  in  Angola  and  in  Central 
Africa  in  the  Belgian  Congo,  and  in  the  heart  of  Rhodesia 
and  in  Portuguese  East  Africa  on  the  east  coast.  In  six 
strategic  areas  the  church  is  at  work,  under  five  friendly 
governments,  with  stations  easily  reached  by  steamship  and 
railroad.  Our  responsibility  is  for  20,000,000  people  in  ter- 
ritories already  occupied  or  assigned  to  us  by  governments 
or  through  arrangements  with  other  churches.  There  is  a 
total  staff  of  92  missionaries  and  about  650  native  preachers 
and  teachers,  with  364  churches,  chapels,  and  homes,  23  edu- 
cational institutions  and  four  hospitals  and  dispensaries. 
There  are  at  present  about  10,000  pupils  in  the  schools  and 
33,000  members  and  adherents  of  the  church. 

In  the  Mohammedan  Strongholds 

In  North  Africa  the  most  promising  work  is  among  the 
children.    Four  homes  for  boys  and  ten  for  girls  are  suj^ply- 

'  J.  H.  Oldham,  The  World  and  the  Gospel,  p.  132. 


130    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

ing  Christian  environment  and  influence  for  students  in  gov- 
ernment schools,  and  making  a  strategic  beginning  for  evan- 
gelistic work.  We  have  converted  Mohammedans  who  are 
now  local  preachers.  Evangelistic  circuits  for  preaching 
and  distribution  of  Christian  literature  among  Moham- 
medans must  be  established  and  centers  where  native 
evangelists  can  be  stationed. 

Reaching  Out  in  Pagan  Africa 

In  the  Republic  of  Liberia  we  have  a  press,  a  college, 
industrial  school,  and  theological  seminaries.  In  Angola, 
on  the  west  coast,  there  are  churches,  boys'  and  girls' 
schools,  a  printing  establishment,  and  large  mission  farms. 
In  the  center  of  the  Belgian  Congo  there  is  a  fast  develop- 
ing industrial  mission,  with  marvelous  results  surrounding 
that  center  with  80  primary  schools.  The  beginning  of  that 
mission  is  a  story  to  rank  with  some  of  the  great  journeys  of 
Livingstone.  Before  our  missionaries  went  into  the  Congo 
region  it  was  found  that  a  native  who  had  gone  back  into  the 
interior  had  been  praying  for  two  years  that  God  would 
send  a  missionary;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  M.  Springer  were 
impelled  to  go,  though  without  adequate  resources,  and 
crossed  the  continent  on  foot  until  they  found  this  lone  Chris- 
tian.   Already  a  great  mission  has  been  founded. 

At  old  Umtali,  in  Rhodesia,  we  have  3,000  acres  of  land 
and  many  buildings,  turned  over  to  the  church  by  the  British 
government,  a  flourishing  industrial  mission  of  the  type 
most  needed.  Training  in  agriculture,  carpentry,  brick- 
making,  and  other  industries  supplements  and  extends 
evangelistic  work. 

In  Portuguese  East  Africa  the  mission  comprises 
churches,  a  mission  press,  training  school,  girls '  school,  and 
hospitals.  Our  doctor  there  is  the  only  medical  man  in  a  ter- 
ritory populated  by  three  and  a  half  millions  of  people. 
At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  as  many  as  fifty  patients  wUl 
assemble  outside  the  hospital  to  wait  for  him. 


FLOOD  TIDE  IN  DESTINY  OP  AFRICA      131 

The  church  must  occupy  providential  openings  for 
service.  Native  chiefs  are  requesting  missionaries,  and  in 
many  cases  are  eager  to  grant  necessary  land  and  buildings 
for  schools  and  churches  and  homes.  Many  strong  evan- 
gelistic centers  must  be  established.  At  least  ten  additional 
missionaries  a  year  must  be  sent  to  keep  up  present  work 
and  insure  reasonable  advance.  Hundreds  of  native  pastor- 
teachers  must  be  trained.  The  success  of  work  in  schools 
must  be  followed  up  by  more  schools  and  teachers.  For  the 
medical  work,  in  a  field  of  more  crying  need  than  anywhere 
on  earth,  the  Centenarj^  program  calls  for  four  new  hospitals 
to  be  established,  and  the  enlargement  of  the  two  existing 
ones  with  missionary  physicians  and  adequate  staff. 

To-MORROW 

Great  souls  have  worked  in  Africa;  Saint  Augustine 
and  Athanasius ;  Robert  Moffat  and  David  Livingstone ; 
those  three  wonderful  Marys  of  the  modern  gospel  story, 
Mary  Moffat,  Mary  Livingstone  and  Mary  Slessor ;  Mackay 
of  Uganda,  Bishop  Hannington  and  George  Grenfell.  Our 
own  record  is  bright  with  the  names  of  Cox,  William  Taylor, 
and  Hartzell. 

But  think  of  the  men  and  women  who  will  follow  them ! 
Surely,  at  this  very  tip  of  the  new  dawn  in  Africa  the  church 
will  not  withhold  the  light  and  leading  of  Christ. 


It  is  beginning  to  dawn  upon  same  people  that  Christian  missions 
are  really  acting  as  a  leaven  in  the  Eastern  world,  and  that  whether  the 
East  shall  become  Christian  is  a  matter  that  vitally  concerns  every 
nation  and  must  determine  the  future  of  humanity.  If  the  East  with 
its  swarming  millions  should  ever  learn  our  civilization  on  its  industrial 
and  military  side  only  while  it  abandons  its  ancient  religions  and  ethic 
— both  of  which  are  happening  before  our  eyes — the  supremacy  and  even 
the  safety  of  the  West  is  more  than  threatened.  We  have  seen  what 
can  happen  to  our  semi-Christianized  civilization;  but  what  a  purely 
atheistic  civilization  would  be  we  can  now  perhaps  begin  to  imagine. — 
W.  E.  Orchard,  The  Outlook  for  Religion. 

Since  Christianity  assimilated  Greek  thought  and  conquered 
Roman  civilization  it  never  faced  a  task  so  stupendous  as  that  of 
the  conquest  of  the  Orient.  Japan,  with  all  her  progress  in  the  arts 
and  crafts  of  civilization  and  all  her  friendliness  toward  Christian  eth- 
ical standards,  is  far  from  being  a  Christian  nation.    .     .    . 

Yet  Japan  is  a  prize  worth  capturing.  The  situation  in  the  whole 
Orient,  in  fact,  constitutes  one  of  the  most  splendid  opportunities,  and 
at  the  same  time  one  of  the  gravest  crises,  in  the  whole  history  of  the 
church.  With  every  passing  year  the  opportunity  is  slipping  farther 
from  her  grasp.  I  make  bold  to  say  that  her  victory  or  defeat  in 
Japan  will  largely  determine  the  future  of  Christianity  in  the  whole 
Far  East. — Dr.  Tasxiku  Harada,  President  of  Doshisha  University, 
Tokio. 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  CHRISTIAN  MASTERY  OF  THE  PACIFIC 

Eastward  Ho! 

Few  days  in  the  world's  liistory  have  had  larger  signifi- 
cance than  that  one  of  which  Balboa,  **with  eagle  eyes,"  first 

"Stared  at  the  Pacific,  and  all  his  men 
Looked  at  each  other  with  a  wild  surmise. 
Silent,  upon  a  peak  in  Darien." 

The  opening  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  to  the  ships,  the  arts 
and  ideas  of  the  Western  world  has  vastly  changed  the 
course  of  history  for  both  East  and  West.  Yet  the  real 
importance  of  the  Pacific  in  the  world's  affairs  lies  in  the 
future.  To-day  Europe  and  America  are  standing  tiptoe 
behind  Balboa,  gazing  at  the  far  Pacific  with  wonder  and 
expectation  even  larger  than  his.  For  these,  too,  are  days  of 
discovery,  when  the  world  is  realizing  that  the  Pacific  Ocean 
will  be  the  scene  of  the  next  great  drainia  in  its  progress. 
The  development  of  the  great  lands  and  peoples  which  are 
set  in  the  far  eastern  Pacific,  Japan,  Korea,  the  Philippines, 
and  Malaysia,  and  their  relation  to  China  and  the  rest  of 
Asia,  will  unquestionably  be  the  great  world-movement  of 
this  century. 

The  New  Mediterranean  Basin 

What  the  Mediterranean  Sea  has  been  throughout  much 
of  the  world's  past  history,  the  central  arena  of  its  great 
actions,  on  which  were  played  out  national  and  racial 
struggles  affecting  its  destiny,  the  Pacific  Ocean  will  be  in 
the  future.  Around  the  Mediterranean  Sea  were  reared 
great  civilizations  beginning  with  the  ancient  kingdom  of 

135 


136    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

Egypt.  There  sailed  the  ship  of  Tyre.  Along  its  shores 
marched  the  legions  of  Persia  in  a  vain  attempt  to  strangle 
the  freedom  of  Greece.  Alexander  the  Great  became  the 
master  and  built  great  cities.  From  opposite  sides  of  the 
sea,  Rome  and  Carthage  were  locked  in  deadly  struggle  for 
dominion  of  that  Mediterranean  world.  Around  its  shores 
great  religions  have  contended  for  mastery.  Here  Chris- 
tianity defeated  paganism  and  struggled  with  Islam.  So 
down  through  the  centuries  it  has  been  the  seething  center 
of  commercial,  political,  and  religious  movements  and  con- 
flicts of  world-wide  meaning. 

The  Pacific  Ocean  is  the  new  center  for  the  world  move- 
ments of  this  century  and  for  many  to  come.  Our  world  has 
outgrown  the  Mediterranean,  important  as  that  will  always 
be.  Around  the  new  arena  of  action  in  the  Pacific  are  gath- 
ered peoples  whose  numbers  and  resources  far  outrun  those 
of  any  other  section  of  the  world.  Picture  the  peoples  in  this 
new  chapter  of  history — Japan  with  its  fifty-five  millions 
crowded  to  the  bursting  point ;  Manchuria  and  Siberia,  enor- 
mous, bristling  question  marks ;  the  Philippines,  a  salient  of 
American  democracy  thrust  into  the  Orient;  Malaysia,  into 
whose  open  fields  are  beginning  to  flock  the  hungry,  crowded 
millions  from  China.  All  these  will  vitally  affect  China  her- 
self with  her  four  hundred  million  ^ '  possibilities  " ! 

Three  Keys 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  ''the  mastery  of  the  Pacific"  is  a 
matter  that  rivets  the  eyes  of  the  world!  What  that 
''mastery"  will  be  in  a  political  sense,  whether  peaceful  or 
militaristic,  whether  Japanese  or  European  or  Chinese,  or  a 
mixture  of  all,  cannot  be  foreseen. 

But  of  vastly  greater  importance  to  the  world  is  the 
question  of  the  Christian  mastery  of  the  Pacific,  the  domin- 
ion of  Christian  moral  and  spiritual  ideals  in  the  expand- 
ing life  of  these  great  peoples.  Upon  this  Christian  influ- 
ence will  depend  the  character  of  the  politicar  development. 


CHEISTIAN  MASTERY  OF  THE  PACIFIC     137 

The  prevalence  of  Christian  ideals  will  mean  the  opening 
of  this  new  center  of  development  to  peace,  to  liberty  and 
democratic  ideals,  and  to  cooperation  between  nations.  A 
Pacific  basin  without  Christianity  will  mean  a  new  stage  set 
for  conflict,  the  play  of  selfish  national  ambitions,  the  ex- 
ploitation of  weaker  peoples,  and  moral  darkness. 

It  is  a  struggle  for  large  stakes,  in  Christian  warfare, 
upon  which  we  look  in  this  chapter.  Lord  Fisher,  recently 
the  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty  of  Great  Britain,  once  said : 
' '  There  are  five  keys  to  the  world.  They  are  the  Straits  of 
Dover,  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  the  Suez  Canal,  the  Straits 
of  Malacca,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope."  However  this  may 
be  true  of  naval  supremacy,  there  are  three  keys  to  the 
Pacific  in  Christian  strategy — ^Tokyo,  Manilla,  and  Singa- 
pore. The  winning  of  these  keys  will  mean  open  doors  to 
Christian  mastery  in  Japan,  in  the  Philippines,  and  in  that 
vast  real  estate  bonanza  to  the  south,  Malaysia.  Let  us  look 
at  these  three  lands  in  turn. 

Japan  and  Korea 

We  may  very  fittingly  take  off  our  hats  when  our 
steamer  docks  in  Japan,  for  we  have  reached  the  Land  of 
Achievement.  It  is  just  fifty  years  since  the  Eeformation 
of  1868,  when  Japan  began  to  adopt  Western  civilization. 
In  that  time  she  has  become  almost  more  modern  than  her 
teachers.  She  has  tried  to  catch  up  at  one  bound  with  the 
progress  made  by  other  nations  in  centuries.  This  difficult 
task  is  being  done  with  marvelous  rapidity.  Japan  is  the 
modern  Aladdin  who  has  nibbed  the  lamp  of  Western  learn- 
ing and  a  vast  new  modern  civilization  has  arisen.  She  has  a 
system  of  universal  education  which  enrolls  ninety  per  cent 
of  the  children  of  school  age.  Her  genius  for  adapting  the 
machinery  of  the  Western  world  has  astounded  all  nations. 
She  has  vanquished  what  was  a  supposedly  first-class 
European  power,  Russia,  and  that  victoiy  resounded 
throughout  all  Asia. 


138    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 


The  Leadership  of  Asia 

Japan  occupies  an  nndonbted  position  of  leadership 
throughout  Asia  to-day.    Her  influence  is  increasing  daily. 


JAPAN 
An  empire  striving  for  leadership 


How  far  that  leadership  is  welcomed  in  all  respects  by  other 
nations  in  Asia;  to  what  extent  Japan  is  feared  in  China, 
and  what  grounds  there  are  for  it,  are  questions  on  which 
wide  disagreement  would  be  found.    The  far  Eastern  situa- 


CHRISTIAN  MASTERY  OF  THE  PACIFIC     139 

tion  shifts  so  from  day  to  day  that  the  vast  majority  of 
political  pronouncements  should  be  revised  every  night  and 
morning.  But  of  the  question  of  Japan's  leadership  in  the 
Orient  there  can  be  no  doubt.  Whether  it  be  in  the  educa- 
tional, financial,  political,  military,  naval,  commercial,  or 
industrial  sphere,  Japanese  leadership  is  to-day  very  ex- 
tensive. China  has  had  large  numbers  of  her  leaders  edu- 
cated in  Japan.  Japan  has  retained  all  the  prestige  won  in 
the  Russo-Japanese  war  and  the  present  war  is  giving  her 
a  new  position  as  a  world  power. 

Japan  leads  Asia — ^but  whither?  That  is  the  question 
which  confronts  the  world  to-day. 

Japan  's  Need  of  Christianity 

Japan  needs  Christianity  supremely  because  the  moral 
foundations  of  her  national  life  are  slipping  away.  The 
whirling  movements  of  the  transformation  to  modern  life 
and  education  have  swept  away  many  of  the  old  sanctions  of 
morality  and  idealism  and  have  brought  many  new  tempta- 
tions. No  new  force  has  yet  been  found  to  take  the  place  of 
the  old  which  has  been  weakened.  In  the  words  of  Count 
Okuma,  the  former  prime  minister,  ''Japan  at  present  may 
be  likened  to  a  sea  into  which  a  hundred  currents  of  Oriental 
and  Occidental  thoughts  -have  poured,  and,  not  having 
effected  a  fusion,  are  raging,  wildly  tossing,  warring,  roar- 
ing. The  old  religion  and  old  morals  are  steadily  losing 
their  hold  and  nothing  has  yet  arisen  to  take  their  place. ' '  ^ 
The  new  environment,  commercial  and  industrial,  and  the 
new  wealth  in  many  quarters,  are  increasing  luxury,  license 
and  lust.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  the  life  blood  of  the 
nation  is  being  drained  off  by  immorality.  The  educational 
system  of  Japan,  so  admirable  in  many  ways,  has  been 
powerless  to  i^revent  the  moral  jDeril.  The  teaching  of  reli- 
gion and  ethics  founded  on  religion  is  prohibited  in  the 
schools  and  the  moral  teaching  given  is  shallow,  urging 

'  Quoted  in  Reports  of  World  Missionary  Conference,  vol.  iv,  p.  116. 


140    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

patriotism  and  loyalty  without  giving  a  reasonable  and 
fundamental  basis.  Among  the  influential  student  class, 
agnosticism,  selfishness,  contempt  for  the  family  tie  and 
materialism  are  destructive  influences.  As  a  recent  writer 
has  said,  ''Dreadnoughts,  machine  guns,  gold  currency  and 
braid,  electric  railways  and  imported  tailorings,  are  at  best 
only  accessories.  Poverty,  mortality,  and  crime  and  the 
condition  of  the  subject  races  are  the  true  barometers  of 
national  welfare. ' '  ^ 

Break  Up  of  Old  Faiths 

The  old  faiths  of  Japan,  Shintoism,  Buddhism,  and  Con- 
fucianism, are  loosening  their  hold.  The  vital  influence  of 
Buddhism  over  educated  people  is  practically  gone,  even 
though  outwardly  Buddhism  is  marked  by  a  vigorous  imi- 
tation of  Christian  methods  such  as  Sunday  schools.  Young 
Men's  Buddhist  Associations,  adaptations  of  Christian 
hymns,  etc.  But  this  outward  activity  is  accompanied  by 
inward  weakening  of  its  hold  and  grave  doubts  on  the  part 
of  Japanese  leaders  over  its  ability  to  supply  the  moral 
dynamic  the  nation  needs. 

Needs  of  the  New  Day 

The  industrial  revolution  brings  a  new  demand  for  a 
strong  moral  sense  and  quickened  conscience.  The  increase 
of  factories,  from  125  to  20,000  in  thirty-four  years,  brings 
grave  dangers  to  the  nation.^  A  vigorous  moral  and  social 
conscience  is  needed  to  protest  against  the  waste  and  cruelty 
of  child  labor  if  the  nation  is  not  to  suffer  frightful  loss. 
Government  statistics  declare  that  out  of  every  hundred 
girls  to  enter  factory  work,  twenty-three  die  within  one  year 
of  their  return  home,  and  of  these  fifty  per  cent  die  of  tuber- 
culosis. Nothing  but  the  realization  of  the  Christian  con- 
ception of  the  intrinsic  worth  of  the  individual  will  save 

•  A.  M.  Pooley,  Japan  at  the  Cross  Roads,  p.  21. 
^  Price,  Ancient  Peoples  at  New  Tasks,  p.  37. 


CHRISTIAN  MASTERY  OF  THE  PACIFIC     141 

Japan  from  the  wide  destructiveness  of  modern  machinery^ 
driven  by  commercial  greed. 

''The  White  Disaster" 

An  able  Japanese  writer,  Okakura  Kakuzo,  says,  "You 
talk  of  the  Yellow  Peril,  but  what  about  the  White  Dis- 
aster?" There  is  a  very  real  meaning  to  the  term.  Western 
industry  and  commerce,  which  break  down  old  moral  re- 
straints without  bringing  any  new  moral  or  religious  power 
is  the  true  White  Disaster  for  Japan  and  every  Oriental 
country,  a  disaster  already  being  felt  in  many  quarters. 
Without  taking  Christianity  to  Japan  in  an  adequate  way, 
we  bring  serious  problems  without  the  help  of  the  great 
principles  necessary  to  solve  them  and  do  not  truly  share  our 
best,  only  our  second  best  and  often  our  worst. 

Concerning  Democracy 

What  must  be  said  regarding  the  main  contention  of  this 
volume — the  necessity  of  the  Christian  gospel  to  Democ- 
racy? Japan  is  one  of  our  allies  and  a  land  where  a  high 
degree  of  education  and  progress  prevail.  The  truth  is  just 
as  true  here  as  anywhere.  No  force  for  the  extension  of 
democracy  and  representative  government  could  be  intro- 
duced into  Japan  so  strong  and  beneficent  as  Christianity. 
It  is  greatly  needed.  If  Japan  is  to  become  a  modern  de- 
mocracy, where  the  welfare  of  the  individual  is  the  control- 
ling ideal  of  government,  she  needs  the  Christian  vision  of 
each  man's  worth  and  the  ideal  of  service.  If  Japan  is  to  be 
a  liberalizing  and  not  a  grasping  power  in  the  Orient,  she 
needs  the  Christian  evangel  of  brotherhood  and  peace  and 
justice  built  into  her  national  life. 

The  Christian  Advance 

Christianity  has  had  a  large  influence  in  Japan,  an  in- 
fluence not  to  be  measured  merely  by  the  Protestant  com- 


142    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

munity  of  150,000  members.  Christian  ideas  have  had  wide 
influence.  Great  missionaries  such  as  Verbeck  and  others 
have  had  much  to  do  with  launching  the  new  educational 
system.  At  the  present  time  there  is  wide  recognition  on  the 
part  of  the  leaders  of  the  government  of  the  need  of  a  moral 
and  religious  basis  of  national  life,  coupled  with  a  growing 
recognition  of  the  failure  of  Buddhism  and  Shintoism  to 
supply  that  basis. 

The  three-year  national  evangelistic  campaign  which 
closed  last  year,  participated  in  by  all  Protestant  bodies,  re- 
sulted in  the  enrollment  of  thousands  of  inquirers  and  dis- 
closed a  receptive  spirit  toward  Christianity.  In  the  last 
three  years  1,200,000  copies  of  the  Bible  were  sold  in  Japan. 
The  demand  for  admittance  to  Christian  schools  and  colleges 
is  greater  than  can  be  granted. 

No  Time  to  Lose 

Nevertheless,  every  advantage  must  be  pressed  to  the 
utmost  without  delay,  for  this  serious  situation  in  Japan 
must  be  honestly  faced.  The  days  of  largest  opportunity 
are  passing.  Lest  anyone  think  that  Christian  leaders  in 
other  lands  such  as  China  and  India  are  insisting  on  the  need 
of  hurry  in  Christian  effort  with  overheated  emphasis,  look 
carefully  at  Japan.  The  opportunity  is  not  so  large  to-day 
as  it  was  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago.  Christianity  did  not 
enter  the  door  when  it  was  opened  widest.  That  is,  the  op- 
portunity was  greater  when  Japan  was  first  adopting  West- 
ern civilization  and  when  the  national  ideas  and  standards 
were  undergoing  greater  change.  These  are  unwelcome  and 
solemn  facts.  A  Christian  traveler  recently  returning  from 
Japan  said,  ''I  had  at  times  in  Japan  the  feeling  that  I  could 
hear  the  fateful  words  of  the  parable  of  the  ten  virgins, '  Too 
late,  ye  cannot  enter  now!'  "  It  is  not  too  late.  But  the 
church  must  work  in  Japan  with  enlarged  forces  the  works 
of  Him  that  sent  it  while  it  is  yet  day,  for  the  night  of  less- 
ened opportunity  is  coming. 


CHRISTIAN  MASTERY  OF  THE  PACIFIC     143 

Does  anyone  think  Japan  is  almost -evangelized?  Out 
of  55,000,000  people,  there  are  only  about  150,000  native 
Protestant  Christians;  26,000,000  are  absolutelj^  untouched 
by  the  Word,  with  no 'facilities  for  hearing  it,  and  millions 
more  have  never  listened  to  Christian  preaching. 

The  Centenary  Proposals 

The  Centenary  program  for  Japan  and  Korea  is  united, 
as  Korea  is  now  a  part  of  the  Japanese  empire.  The  ad- 
vance proposals  in  Japan  are  designed  to  extend  the  evan- 
gelistic and  educational  work  as  swiftly  as  possible  in  order 
to  meet  the  opportunity.  Methodism  in  Japan  is  in  a  unique 
position,  unmatched  in  any  other  land.  The  Japanese  Meth- 
odist Church  was  foniied  in  1907  out  of  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  the  Methodist  Church,  South, 
and  the  Canadian  Methodist  Church.  This  action  was  a 
striking  example  of  two  growing  movements  destined  to 
have  a  great  development  in  Christian  missions,  church 
unity  on  the  field,  and  the  rise  of  the  native  church  to  self- 
direction  and  self-support.  Our  church  at  the  time  of  the 
union  contributed  45  churches  and  5,500  members.  Each  of 
the  three  churches  which  united  continues  its  support,  with 
a  decreasing  appropriation  each  year,  and  cooperates 
with  the  Japanese  Methodist  Church.  The  Centenary  calls 
for  cooperation  by  enlarging  and  extending  the  evangelistic 
work  to  hitherto  untouched  regions. 

Education 

A  w«rk  of  commanding  importance  has  been  done  by  the 
schools  of  the  church.  With  the  exclusion  of  religion  from 
the  state  schools  and  the  weakness  of  what  moral  instruction 
is  given  in  them,  there  is  vital  need  for  schools  which  give 
to  Japan  the  religious  and  ethical  power  it  lacks.  The  fam- 
ous Aoyama  Grakuin  at  Tokyo  provides  collegiate,  theolog- 
ical, and  preparatory  training  for  six  hundred  students.  An 
indication  of  its  service  to  Christianity  in  Japan  is  seen  in 


144    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

the  recent  gift  of  one  of  its  former  students  of  a  building 
costing  $100,000.  This  and  other  schools  in  Japan  must  be 
strengthened  for  larger  service,  A  great  Union  Christian 
University  at  Tokyo  is  planned  in  which  we  must  bear  our 
share. 

The  Battle  Flag 

When  Admiral  Togo  led  his  fleet  into  action  in  the  great 
naval  battle  with  Russia  in  the  Sea  of  Japan,  he  flung  out 
this  signal  from  the  mast  of  his  flagship — "The  destiny  of 
an  empire."  That  same  signal  flag  flies  from  the  cross  as 
it  is  raised  in  Japan.  The  destiny  of  the  empire  is  at  stake 
in  a  far  larger  sense  than  it  ever  was  in  the  struggle  with 
Russia.  The  whole  future  of  Christianity  in  the  Far  East 
depends  much  on  its  success  in  Japan. 

Korea 

The  story  of  Christianity  in  Korea  reads  like  a  chapter 
in  the  book  of  Acts.  We  would  not  feel  a  bit  surprised  to 
have  Paul  and  Silas  step  into  a  typical  Korean  prayer  meet- 
ing. One  thing  is  sure,  they  would  feel  right  at  home. 
Christianity  has  had  violent  opposition,  just  as  it  did  in  the 
world  in  which  the  apostle  Paul  moved.  But  it  has  won 
some  truly  apostolic  successes  worthy  to  rank  with  the  days 
of  Pentecost.  In  thirty  years  300,000  have  been  converted 
and  joined  the  Christian  Church — a  remarkable  record  for 
a  single  generation  in  a  nation  whose  total  present  popula- 
tion is  only  15,000,000 !  Christianity  has  profoundly  stirred 
the  nation.  It  is  confined  to  no  class,  but  is  a  movement  in  the 
great  mass  of  Korea's  millions.  Eager  multitudes  in  all 
places  listen  when  the  gospel  is  preached,  and  churches  are 
too  small  for  the  crowds. 

The  Gateway  to  the  East 

The  location  of  Korea  gives  to  the  task  of  her  thorough 
Christianization  a  high  strategic  value.  It  is  located  be- 
tween Japan  and  China.    It  is  on  the  great  highway  across 


CHRISTIAN  MASTERY  OF  THE  PACIFIC     145 

Asia  by  which  the  East  is  joined  to  the  West  by  the  Trans- 
Siberian  Railroad,  Seoul,  the  capital  of  Korea,  is  only 
forty-eight  hours  from  Tokyo  and  forty-six  from  Peking. 
In  times  of  peace  it  is  only  twelve  days  from  London  and 
seventeen  days  from  New  York.  Korea  is  well  fitted,  not 
only  by  her  geographical  location  but  also  by  her  religious 
temperament,  to  be  a  vital  influence  for  Christian  evangel- 
ization in  Japan,  China,  and  the  rapidly  developing  Man- 
churia. Korea  will  play  that  role  if  Christianity  wins  a  de- 
cisive victory  there. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  already  has  a  mem- 
bership of  25,000.  There  are  five  high  schools  and  159  ele- 
mentary schools.  The  evangelistic,  educational,  and  hospital 
work  must  all  be  vigorously  extended.  The  native  church  is 
already  doing  Herculean  labors  of  evangelistic  work  and 
self-support.  There  is  a  crying  need  of  schools,  particularly 
in  view  of  the  government's  refusal  to  permit  the  teaching 
of  religion.  Less  than  one  tenth  of  the  children  of  school 
age  are  in  any  regularly  organized  school.  More  children 
of  Christian  families  are  outside  of  school  than  in.  Some 
imperative  items  of  this  advance  are  new  churches,  mission- 
aries, native  teachers,  and  doctors. 

The  Philippines 

When  Admiral  Dewey  slipped  into  Manilla  Bay  in  the 
twilight  of  that  May  morning  twenty  years  ago  the  United 
States  moved  out  into  new  world  relationships  and  responsi- 
bilities. From  that  day  to  the  present  there  has  been  a 
steady  widening  of  the  horizon  of  American  interests,  of 
which  the  participation  of  our  country  in  the  world-wide 
struggle  of  to-day  is  the  culmination.  We  have  been  forced 
to  think  in  world  terms.  The  new  day  in  history,  ushered  in 
by  the  taking  of  Manilla,  has  not  meant  what  many  feared, 
an  era  of  "imperialism,"  but  it  has  meant  the  breakdown 
of  old  isolation  and  the  acceptance  of  responsibilities  of 
service,  beyond  our  own  shores. 


146    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

New  Day  for  the  East 

The  first  of  May,  1898,  not  only  marks  a  new  era  in 
American  thinking,  but  also  a  new  era  for  the  East.  The 
American  administration  of  the  Philippines  has  introduced 


THE  PHILIPPINES 
A  school  where  the  Orient  may  learn  the  essentials  of  democracy 

and  demonstrated  that  a  hitherto  untried  theory  of  colonial 
jDolicy  could  work  successfully.  It  has  been  a  salient  of 
democratic  influence  flung  into  the  midst  of  Asia  and  has 
awakened  longings  for  self-determination  and  larger  degree 
of  self-government  among  all  peoples  of  Asia.  *'Why  can't 
we  have  govermnent  like  the  Philippines!"  is  a  question 


CHRISTIAN  MASTERY  OF  THE  PACIFIC     147 

which  has  echoed  from  island   to  island  through  all  the 
Eastern  Sea  and  over  all  the  mainland. 


A  Demonstration  School  for  Asia 

The  influence  of  American  presence  in  the  Philippines 
already  demonstrates  that  it  opens  a  new  day  in  the  kingdom 
of  God.  It  affords  a  center  from  which  both  Christianity 
and  democracy  are  swiftly  carried  to  the  Orient.  Look  at 
Manilla  on  the  map  and  you  will  readily  understand  the 
description  of  it  as  ''the  Hub  around  which  the  wheel  of 
Asia  turns."  What  an  opportunity  it  is,  with  our  flag  flying 
over  eight  millions  of  Orientals!  When  God's  hour  for  all 
of  Asia  has  come,  ^ve  are  standing  in  this  strategic  place,  the 
very  front  yard!  It  is  an  arena  around  which  are  ranged 
900,000,000  spectators  in  that  Eastern  world.  What  an  op- 
portunity for  influence,  if  in  the  Philippines  we  can  show 
to  that  greatest  audience  which  ever  witnessed  any  spectacle 
a  successful  and  vigorous  Christianity  going  hand  in  hand 
with  a  beneficent  democracy!  It  is  small  wonder  that  one 
who  has  spent  years  in  the  Philippines,  Bishop  W.  F.  Old- 
ham, has  said:  "The  crux  of  our  missionary  activities  in 
Asia  is  in  the  Philippine  Islands.  If  we  fail  to  Christianize 
the  Filipinos,  we  shall  fail  to  Christianize  Asia.  If  we  suc- 
ceed in  Christianizing  the  Filipinos,  we  shall  succeed  in 
all  Asia." 

Toward  Democracy 

For  centuries  under  Spanish  dominion  the  only  spiritual 
watchword  the  Philippines  knew  was  "Backward  Ho!" 
The  American  occupation  has  turned  them  right  about  face 
and  set  them  marching  toward  democracy.  The  United 
States  is  pledged  to  give  the  Philippines  complete  rights  of 
self-government  as  soon  as  the  Filipinos  show  their  fitness 
for  it.  They  are  not  fit  for  it  now  and  will  not  be  able  to 
maintain  free  republican  institutions  without  the  liberalizing 
influences  of  Protestant  Christianity  as  well  as  the  public 


148    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

schools.  It  is  this  program  of  an  increasingly  democratic 
government  which  our  government  has  set  for  the  Philip- 
pines and  which  the  Orient  is  watching,  which  makes  so 
urgent  a  call  for  the  Christianizing  of  the  islands. 

Those  who  are  urging  immediate  independence  for  the 
Philippines  are  the  ones  who  know  least  of  the  situation 
there.  The  educational  process  has  not  gone  far  enough. 
The  people  were  ninety-five  per  cent  illiterate  only  eighteen 
years  ago  and  only  3,000,000  have  been  touched  so  far  by  the 
public  school  system,  most  of  them,  of  course,  being  children. 
The  whole  body  of  the  people  have  not  yet  had  time  to  learn 
the  rights  of  the  individual.  For  the  United  States  to  step 
out  immediately  would  simply  be  handing  the  people  over  to 
the  exploitation  of  designing  leaders,  and  such  would  not 
be  the  fulfillment  of  our  responsibilities.  If  independence 
can  be  wisely  granted  in  another  decade,  or  two,  a  free  and 
vital  Christianity  must  supply  the  foundations  and  safe- 
guards of  true  democracy. 

Uncle  Sam — Trustee 

It  was  a  high  ideal  with  which  the  United  States 
started  in  the  Philippines.  In  the  words  of  President  Mc- 
Kinley:  '^The  Philippines  are  ours,  not  to  exploit  but  to 
develop,  civilize,  educate,  and  train  in  the  science  of  self- 
government.  This  is  the  path  of  duty  which  we  must  follow 
or  be  recreant  to  a  mighty  trust  committed  to  us. ' '  We  may 
well  be  proud  that  our  nation  has  been  true  to  that  trust. 
We  have  given  the  Filipinos  the  best  we  have— science,  edu- 
cation of  the  masses,  intellectual  and  religious  liberty,  a  just 
and  liberal  government  in  which  they  themselves  have  part. 
It  is  a  record  of  progress  "unexampled  in  the  contact  of 
any  Western  people  with  any  part  of  Asia."  ^  In  eighteen 
years  have  been  brought  about  the  changes  of  a  century. 
Over  600,000  children  are  in  American  public  schools,  in 
which  the  English  language  is  used.     More  Filipinos  are 

^  W.  p.  Oldham,  India,  Malaysia,  and  the  Philippines,  p.  258. 


BASEBALL  FOLLOWS  THE  FLAG 
One  evidence  of  the  American  influence  in  the  Philippines 


PREACHING  IN  THE  STREETS  OF  SINGAPORE 


CHRISTIAN  MASTERY  OF  THE  PACIFIC     149 

speaking  English  to-day  than  ever  spoke  Spanish  at  any  one 
time,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Spain  was  there  three 
hundred  and  forty  years,  while  the  United  States  has  been 
there  only  twenty  years. 

After  eleven  years  of  American  control  the  trade  of 
the  islands  was  three  times  as  large  as  the  highest  figures 
under  Spain.  Improved  agricultural  methods,  good  roads 
and  railroads,  are  vastly  increasing  material  prosperity. 
Smallpox,  formerly  an  annual  scourge,  has  been  completely 
wiped  out.  Cholera  has  virtually  disappeared.  The  death 
rate  in  Manilla  has  been  cut  down  fifty  per  cent  since  Amer- 
ican occupation. 

The  Chkistian  Achievement 

The  Christian  occupation  of  the  Philippines  has  in 
many  respects  kept  pace  with  other  American  achievements. 
The  story  of  American  Christian  effort  since  our  control  of 
the  islands  has  many  unusual  features,  among  which  are  the 
speed  with  which  missionary  work  was  begun  when  the  door 
of  opportunity  opened;  the  remarkable  growth  of  the 
Protestant  churches  and  the  spirit  of  cooperation  which  has 
prevailed  from  the  beginning.  Before  the  firing  in  the  city 
of  Manilla  had  ceased  the  missionary  was  on  the  ground.  An 
evangelical  union  organized  by  the  missionaries,  determined 
that  there  should  be  no  overlapping,  competition,  or  wasted 
effort,  divided  the  territory  among  different  denominations. 
It  was  a  heartening  demonstration  that  the  things  which 
separate  Christian  bodies  are  not  worth  carrying  eight 
thousand  miles  to  sea. 

The  response  to  evangelistic  effort  has  been  remarkable. 
The  per  cent  of  increase  in  church  membership,  in  propor- 
tion to  the  number  of  people  to  be  reached,  has  been  greater 
in  the  Philippines  than  in  any  other  foreign  field.  In  the 
Methodist  Church  alone  there  are  48,000  members  and  13,000 
unbaptized  adherents,  a  community  of  over  60,000,  and  other 
churches  have  met  success  equally  remarkable.    The  eager- 


150    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

ness  with  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  Islands  received  the 
gospel  after  the  American  control  replaced  the  old  Roman 
Church  repression  of  freedom  of  thought  and  speech  was 
intense  and  pathetic.  That  receptivity  still  characterizes 
the  people.  Twenty-five  years  ago  the  Bible  was  a  closed 
book.  To-day  it  has  been  translated  into  ten  languages  and 
over  a  million  copies  have  been  sold  in  the  islands. 

Less  than  fifty  per  cent  of  the  people  may  be  considered 
as  good  Roman  Catholics.  Besides  the  number  who  are 
totally  beyond  the  influence  of  the  church,  there  are  vast 
numbers  of  the  natives  who  have  never  known  any  religion 
whatever  except  their  primitive  savagery. 

The  Advance 

The  principal  activity  in  the  Philippines  is  evangelistic. 
If  one  asks  why  there  is  such  little  provision  for  primary 
and  secondary  education,  the  answer  which  may  be  proudly 
given  is,  ''The  Stars  and  Stripes."  The  government  is  do- 
ing many  things  in  the  Philippines  which  in  other  lands  have 
to  be  done  by  the  missions.  The  educational  need  is  to  su])- 
plement  the  government  schools  among  people  who  are  not 
yet  reached  by  them,  for  only  two  fifths  of  the  school  popu- 
lation are  as  yet  in  school.  Mission  dormitories  are  needed 
for  students  in  government  schools  in  order  to  supply  Chris- 
tian environment  and  influence,  as  the  government  allows  no 
religious  teaching.  Cooperation  in  a  much  needed  Christian 
university  and  a  theological  seminary  has  been  promised. 
One  of  the  most  hopeful  indications  for  large  success  in  the 
Philippines  is  the  number  of  young  men  of  power  and  self- 
sacrificing  spirit  who  have  pressed  into  the  ministry  from 
the  very  beginning  of  missionary  work. 

The  minimum  of  church  extension  calls  for  128 
churches  and  chapels,  69  native  preachers,  and  9  mission- 
aries. Our  responsibility  is  for  two  and  a  half  million  peo- 
ple. Two  medical  stations  in  centers  distant  from  Manilla, 
with  physicians,  are  needed  to  minister  to  districts  contain- 


CHRISTIAN  MASTERY  OF  THE  PACIFIC     151 

ing  a  million  and  a  quarter  population  without  any  medical 
attention. 

When  a  miner  finds  a  "paying  streak"  of  metal  he 
bends  every  effort  to  follow  it.  The  Philippines,  for  the 
short  time  missionary  effort  has  been  there,  have  proved  one 
of  the  best  "paying  streaks"  in  the  history  of  Christianity. 

Malaysia 

A  hungry  world  will  listen  with  interest  to  at  least  one 
claim  made  for  Malaysia :  if  could  feed  the  glohe.  Perhaps 
there  may  be  a  slight  touch  of  exaggeration  to  that  claim  as 
there  has  been  to  some  other  statements  about  real  estate. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  within  easy  hailing  distance  of  the  truth. 
It  is  not  a  guess  or  fervent  hope,  but  the  scientific  appraisal 
of  experts.  Malaysia  contains  a  million  square  miles  of 
exceedingly  fertile  soil,  tropical  abundance,  and  frequent 
harvests.  It  can  produce  three  yearly  harvests  of  rice  or 
any  other  tropical  grain.  Its  resources  have  barely  been 
touched.  So  there  is  some  solid  foundation  for  the  belief 
that  Malaysia,  if  her  resources  were  properly  developed, 
could  invite  the  world  into  her  dining  room  and  say  with 
calm  assurance,  "Ladies  and  gentlemen,  be  seated!" 

The  What,  Where  and  Who  of  Malaysia 

If  the  word  "Malaysia"  conveys  any  clearcut,  definite 
meaning  to  you,  you  are  one  in  a  thousand  and  are  entitled 
to  pin  the  order  of  the  Sons  of  Geography,  First  Class,  on 
your  breast.  Malaysia  is  the  composite  name  for  a  group 
of  countries  and  islands  in  the  Pacific,  and  has,  in  our  minds, 
the  same  blurred  outlines  that  a  composite  picture  has.  It  is 
hopeless  to  try  to  dispel  the  fog  without  the  light  of  a  good 
map.  Studj^  the  one  on  page  153  for  a  moment.  Malaysia 
consists  of  the  Malay  Peninsula  in  the  southeast  of  Asia, 
pointing  like  a  forefinger  down  at  the  south  pole,  and  the 
most  wonderful  group  of  islands  in  the  world,  including  four 
large  ones,  Sumatra,  Borneo,  New  Guinea,  and  Java,  and 


152    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

thousands  of  smaller  ones.  In  this  area  there  is  a  population 
of  about  60,000,000.  In  spite  of  this  large  population,  larger 
than  that  of  all  South  America,  half  of  it  is  packed  so  closely 
in  Java  that  vast  areas  of  the  rest  of  Malaysia  are  very 
sparsely  populated. 

Many  flags  wave  over  this  group  of  islands.  The  Malay 
Peninsula,  with  many  of  the  islands  surrounding  it,  includ- 
ing Straits  Settlements,  of  which  Singapore  is  the  metrop- 
olis, and  parts  of  Borneo  and  New  Guinea,  belong  to  Great 
Britain.  Holland  owns  Sumatra,  Java,  and  many  other 
islands,  an  empire  of  over  forty  million  people,  seven  times 
outnumbering  the  population  of  Holland  itself.  Under  both 
of  these  flags  nominal  rule  over  certain  areas  is  still  held  by 
native  chiefs  and  kings. 

A  Land  of  Room  Enough 

With  the  exception  of  Java  there  is  plenty  of  room  for 
more  in  Malaysia.  It  would  seem  that  Java  must  soon  be 
forced  to  hang  out  the  sign  ''Standing  Room  Only"  at  all 
of  her  ports.  Under  the  wise  rule  of  the  Dutch  the  popula- 
tion has  increased  in  two  centuries  from  2,000,000  to  30,000,- 
000.  There  are  720  people  to  the  square  mile,  more  than  in 
any  country  in  Europe.  If  the  other  islands  attain  a  density 
equal  to  Java,  they  will  hold  720,000,000  instead  of  50,000,- 
000  or  60,000,000.  This  gives  some  indication  of  the  possi- 
bilities of  growth  and  development  of  Malaysia.  There  is 
room  for  many  millions,  and  large  streams  of  immigration 
are  already  flowing  from  China  and  India.  When  asked  how 
many  Chinese  he  could  encourage  to  come  to  Malaysia,  the 
governor-general  at  Singapore  answered  in  an  off-hand  way, 
' '  Fifty  millions  if  you  can  spare  them. ' ' 

Wonderland — Admission  Free 

The  whole  area  of  Malaysia  is  a  gigantic  Bonanza 
Farm,  whose  possibilities  and  wealth  the  world  is  just  begin- 
ning to  learn.    Large  and  varied  crops  are  now  produced 


CHRISTIAN  MASTERY  OF  THE  PACIFIC     153 

and  no  limits  can  be  set  to  the  increase  possible.  Rice,  sugar, 
cocoanuts,  rubber,  and  coffee  flourish.  Immense  oil  fields 
have  been  found  in  Bali,  the  island  next  to  Java. 

The  Melting  Pot  of  Asia 

The  unique  importance  of  Malaysia  in  the  future  of  the 
Orient  and  the  world  lies  mainly  in  two  things — its  strategic 
location  and  the  vast  immigration  which  is  flowing  to  it. 


E 


N 


tCALC  or  Hiia 


MALAYSIA— THE  MELTING  POT  OF  ASIA 
Every  year  it  receives  hundreds  of  thousands  of  the  overflow  of  China  and  India 


154    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

Singapore  is  the  great  center  and  metropolis  of  Ma- 
laysia, and  one  of  the  world's  great  pivot  points  of  travel 
and  trade.  You  cannot  get  from  India  or  Europe  to  China  or 
Japan  or  anywhere  onto  the  Pacific  ocean  without  passing 
through  the  narrow  straits  of  Singapore,  or  else  going  so  far 
east  as  to  make  the  voyage  almost  impossible.  The  city  of 
Singapore  is  the  distributing  point  for  all  Asia  and  a 
transfer  point  for  the  world.  It  is  probably  the  most  cos- 
mopolitan city  of  the  world.  One  may  stand  at  a  crowded 
street  corner  and  count  forty  different  nationalities  passing 
within  an  hour.  In  that  city  of  300,000,  over  sixty-nine  dif- 
ferent languages  are  spoken.  Whatever  is  planted  firmly  in 
Singapore  soon  spreads  out  through  the  millions  of  Ma- 
laysia and  through  all  the  Orient.  It  is  a  nerve  center  of  the 
Eastern  world  and  a  place  of  supreme  vantage  for  Chris- 
tianity. 

Immigration  is  fast  making  not  only  a  vast,  developing 
civilization  in  Malaysia,  but  is  making  a  new  race.  Over 
250,000  Chinese  and  60,000  from  India  are  coming  to 
Malaysia  every  year  and  are  rapidly  interfusing  with  the 
Malays.  It  is  the  true  melting  pot  of  Asia.  The  city  of 
Singapore  at  the  present  time  is  seventy-two  per  cent 
Chinese.  Many  of  these  Chinese  become  wealthy  through 
trade.  The  great  majority  of  the  immigrants  from  China 
are  laborers,  and  they  are  so  much  more  industrious  and 
thrifty  than  the  native  Malays  that  the  future  in  Malaysia 
seems  to  belong  to  the  Chinese.  Walter  Weyel  says :  "  It  is 
not  impossible  or  even  improbable  that  another  century  will 
find  100,000,000  or  200,000,000  Chinese  in  this  unoccupied 
territory."  ^  The  foundations  of  a  great  populous  civiliza- 
tion are  being  newly  laid  in  this  great  region,  presenting  the 
opportunity  of  centuries  to  Christianity. 

The  Christian  Outlook 
If  Malaysia  is  a  wonderland  of  nature,  it  is  in  many  re- 


"■  Harper's  Magazine,  July,  1918,  p.  162. 


CHRISTIAN  MASTERY  OF  THE  PACIFIC     155 

spects  a  wonderland  of  missionary  adventure  also.  The 
Methodist  Church  is  the  only  American  church  working  in 
all  of  Malaysia.  The  opening  of  the  work  was  a  daring  ven- 
ture of  sheer  faith  which  has  been  abundantly  rewarded. 
The  educational  work  has  been  stressed  from  the  begin- 
ning. Already  we  have  a  self-supporting  educational  work 
that  enrolls  7,500  pupils.  The  Anglo-Chinese  School  at 
Singapore,  founded  by  Bishop  W.  F.  Oldham  when  he  was 
a  missionary  in  Singapore,  is  the  largest  educational  insti- 
tution outside  of  Japan  in  the  Far  East,  having  over  1,600 
pupils.  Its  graduates  have  been  extremely  influential.  Sev- 
eral were  leaders  in  the  Chinese  Revolution. 

A  publishing  house  is  self-supporting,  furnishing  books, 
Sunday  school  literature,  tracts  and  Bibles  in  many  lan- 
guages. Methodism,  as  the  only  expression  of  American 
Christian  activity,  stands  very  high  in  the  confidence  of  all 
the  governments  and  also  in  the  trust  and  confidence  of  the 
people. 

In  a  little  over  twenty  years  a  church  community  of 
6,000  has  been  gathered.  The  quality  and  interest  of  this 
community  may  be  gauged  by  the  fact  that  they  are  under- 
taking to  raise  one  fourth  of  the  total  Centenary  asking  for 
Malaysia !    That  group  of  6,000  will  raise  $382,000. 

The  most  notable  advance  in  the  educational  program  is 
the  development  of  the  school  in  Singapore  into  a  college. 
A  circle  with  a  radius  of  1,200  miles  would  enclose  60,000,000 
people  and  in  it  there  is  not  a  single  school  of  college  grade. 
It  affords  an  opportunity  to  set  the  educational  standard 
for  60,000,000  people.  Part  of  the  money  necessary  is  being 
raised  on  the  field.  One  interested  Chinaman  has  already 
made  a  gift  of  $100,000.  An  increase  in  the  number  of 
village  schools  is  also  planned. 

In  connection  with  all  these  school  centers  there  is  large 
evangelistic  opportunity.  At  present  the  appropriation 
furnishes  only  one  missionary  for  each  million  of  those  for 
whom  our  church  is  responsible.  The  religions  which  Chris- 
tianity must  meet  and  supplant  are  Mohammedanism,  Bud- 


156    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

dhism,  Hinduism,  and  the  native  paganism.  Work  among 
Mohammedans  yields  results  much  more  readily  at  this  tip 
end  of  Mohammedanism,  as  it  were,  than  at  the  center  in 
Turkey  or  North  Africa. 

There  is  an  urgent  need  of  medical  service.  That  con- 
stitutes the  most  promising  approach  to  the  Malay.  ''The 
easiest  tunnel  to  the  heart  of  Mohammedanism  is  the  one 
which  leads  from  the  gate  of  a  hospital."  A  hospital  for 
Mohammedans  at  Singapore  is  proposed  and  nine  hospitals 
on  the  various  islands.  The  Dutch  government  has  offered 
to  supply  three  fourths  of  the  cost,  with  the  salary  of  one 
American  doctor,  nurses,  and  equipment.  This  means  that 
for  every  dollar  contributed  from  America  nine  will  be  con- 
tributed by  the  Dutch  government. 

The  Pacific  Prince 

In  one  of  his  finest  missionary  hymns  Charles  Wesley 
uses  this  ascription,  ''0  thou  mild  pacific  Prince!"  We 
must  capitalize  the  word  ''pacific"  and  sing  it  with  new  con- 
viction. Jesus  Christ  must  be  the  Pacific  Prince.  For  the 
world's  peace  and  progress,  the  new-world  center  in  the 
Pacific  must  be  under  his  mastery. 


Will  the  Russians  build  a  government  of,  by,  and  for  the  people? 
On  the  answer  to  that  question  the  hope  of  a  liberal  Europe  hangs. — 
Ernest  Poole,  The  DarJc  People. 

While  we  see  to  it  that  nothing  allows  the  foreign  missionary 
enterprise  to  suffer  at  this  time,  there  is  another  problem  of  even  greater 
dimensions,  namely,  re-evangelizing  of  Europe. —  W.  E.  Orchard,  The 
Outlook  for  Religion. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  REBUILDING  OF  EUROPE 

The  rebuilding  of  Europe  is  the  largest,  most  heart- 
breaking task  which  has  ever  awaited  the  hand  and  mind  of 
man.  The  familiar  pictures  of  French  and  Belgian  women, 
sitting  alone  amid  the  desolate  ruins  of  what  had  once  been 
pleasant  homes,  are  grim  symbols  of  a  broken,  bereaved, 
and  exhausted  Europe  bowed  in  the  chaos  left  by  the  tornado 
of  war.  Millions  of  rough  wooden  crosses  give  to  Northern 
France  and  Belgium  the  aspect  of  a  vast  cemetery  where  lie 
buried  men  and  hopes  and  possibilities.  Once  fruitful  fields 
and  orchards  are  transformed  into  the  barren  crater  of  a 
volcano.  Villages  and  cities  with  innumerable  homes  and 
churches  have  been  leveled  to  shapeless  ruins.  Millions  of 
maimed  and  blinded  men  are  seeking  to  take  up  the  tangled 
threads  of  life  again  under  heavy  handicaps.  The  large 
tasks  of  reconstruction  must  be  undertaken  with  depleted 
human  forces  and  wearied  strength. 

The  Havoc  of  War 

It  is  so  large  a  task  that  the  title  of  this  chapter  is  in 
many  senses  a  mockery.  Europe  will  never  be  rebuilt. 
Much  that  has  gone  down  to  destruction  can  never  be  re- 
stored. The  human  harvest  of  war,  a  large  part  of  the  finest 
manhood  of  Europe,  has  been  cut  down  and  lost  forever. 
Europe  in  its  four  years  of  war  has  lavishly  spent  not  only 
its  present  wealth,  but  that  of  the  past  and  future  as  well. 
A  measureless  mountain  of  debt  and  toil  has  been  thrust  for- 
ward to  the  shoulders  of  coming  generations. 

Yet  the  war  has  left  more  than  ruins.  It  has  left  an 
immortal  chapter  in  the  story  of  high-hearted  valor,  of  un- 

159 


160    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

selfish  sacrifice  and  true  human  greatness  that  will  be  one  of 
the  most  priceless  and  fruitful  legacies  of  the  race  for  all 
ages  to  come.  In  the  nations  which  have  spent  themselves 
so  fully  and  ungrudgingly  for  the  world's  liberties,  there 
have  been  disclosed  undaunted  heroism  and  capacity  which 
will  face  the  great  reconstruction  tasks  as  resolutely  as  they 
did  the  advancing  armies. 

A  New  Eueope 

While  some  things  cannot  be  restored,  many  other  things 
must  not  be  rebuilt.  The  old  structures  of  secret  and  in- 
triguing diplomacy,  of  selfish  and  grasping  imperialism,  of 
oppressive  autocracy  and  militarism  must  never  be  set  up 
again. 

The  victory  of  the  forces  of  democracy  in  the  great  war 
will  be  incomplete  unless  the  nations  of  Europe  replace  old 
jealousies  by  new  bonds  of  confidence  and  cooperation. 
Spiritual  ideals  of  brotherhood  and  justice  must  supplant 
all  materialistic  worship  of  power.  It  is  becoming  increas- 
ingly clear  to  millions  of  men  that  only  such  ideals  worked 
out  into  actual  institutions  will  ever  prevent  another  war 
like  the  present  one  or  worse.  It  is  a  farseeing,  practical 
statesmanship  which  proclaims  at  this  hour  regarding  the 
reconstruction  of  Europe,  ''Unless  the  Lord  build  the  house, 
they  labor  in  vain  that  build  it." 

Spiritual  Foundations  for  Reconstruction 

In  every  field  of  life  Europe  has  great  tasks  of  recon- 
struction awaiting.  Great  changes  in  the  political  life  of 
every  nation  are  bound  to  follow  the  upheaval,  with  the  crea- 
tion of  new  states  and  new  forms  and  methods  of  govern- 
ment. Education  of  every  kind  will  be  profoundly  affected. 
In  the  industrial  world  many  look  for  the  most  far-reach- 
ing results  of  the  war.  It  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  idea  of 
democracy,  which  has  been  so  much  in  the  thought  of  all 
Europe  for  the  years  of  the  war,  will  be  rigorously  ap- 


THE  REBUILDING  OF  EUROPE  161 

plied  to  industry  and  the  power  and  rewards  of  labor  greatly 
increased.  In  religious  thinking  and  activity  equally  great 
transformations  will  occur.  Nothing  is  surer  than  that  the 
new  order  will  place  the  free  Protestant  church  beside  the 
free  school  as  essential  to  the  achievement  of  democracy.  A 
free  church  with  vigorous  spiritual  ideals  and  life  must  enter 
into  the  foundations  of  the  new  order  in  Europe  to  make  it 
permanent  and  safe. 

Methodism  in  Continental  Europe 

It  is  not  with  any  small  spirit  of  making  proselytes  or 
competing  with  other  churches  that  a  free  Protestantism 
looks  at  Europe  to-day.  It  is,  rather,  with  the  desire  to 
render  assistance  to  the  forces  already  working  there  to  lay 
a  true  moral  and  spiritual  foundation  for  national  life. 
America  has  proved  herself  a  minister  of  mercy  in  Europe 
and  a  military  ally  of  the  forces  of  democracy.  We  would 
seek  for  her  also  a  place  of  service  in  completing  the  victory 
of  democracy  by  strengthening  the  spiritual  forces  essential 
to  its  safety. 

The  work  of  Methodism  in  Europe,  in  eleven  countries, 
has  furnished  it  with  a  unique  equipment  and  opportunity 
for  service  at  this  hour.  It  is  the  only  Protestant  church 
without  national  affiliations  working  over  all  this  war-af- 
fected territorj^  Through  the  international  scope  and  char- 
acter of  its  European  membership  and  organization  it  holds 
a  providential  relationship  to  much  of  the  future  religious 
life  of  Europe. 

No  survey  of  the  European  fields  and  its  needs  could,  of 
course,  be  made.  It  is  rather  difficult  to  survey  a  whirlwind 
in  action.  It  is  clear,  however,  that  there  exists  an  unprec- 
edented opportunity  to  minister  to  the  varied  needs,  phys- 
ical, educational,  and  spiritual,  of  some  of  the  stricken  coun- 
tries of  Europe.  Methodism  is  so  placed  in  relation  to  these 
great  needs  that  they  constitute  an  immediate  responsibility 
which  cannot  be  evaded. 


162    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

Under  Three  Flags 

Among  the  countries  of  Continental  Europe  which  are 
opening  opportunities  for  service  of  striking  character,  are 
Russia,  Italy,  and  France.  The  conditions  in  each  of  these 
countries  are  vastly  different,  but  even  a  slight  examination 
of  them  will  give  an  indication  of  the  wide  opportunity  for 
ministry  that  lies  ahead  of  a  free  Protestant  Christianity  in 
Europe. 

Russia 

Russia  has  become  the  world's  rampant  question  mark 
and  will  be  so  for  a  generation  to  come.  Both  history  and 
fiction  fail  to  furnish  a  parallel  to  the  two  revolutions  of 
1917  by  which  the  whole  political  and  social  order  of  Russia 
was  overturned,  the  course  of  the  war  changed,  and  the  gov- 
ernment placed  in  the  hands  of  what  looked  from  the  outside- 
like  a  workingmen's  debating  society.  Russia  has  won  for 
herself,  during  the  progress  of  this  most  amazing  revolution, 
every  possible  attitude  on  the  part  of  the  rest  of  the  world, 
from  the  most  extravagant  applause  and  admiration  to  the 
bitterest  hatred  and  accusations  of  treachery.  Probably  no 
nation  has  ever  had  to  deal  at  one  time  with  such  great  dis- 
turbing undertakings  as  Russia  has  had  in  the  last  two  years. 
In  the  first  place,  she  has  had  to  engage  in  the  greatest  war 
in  the  history  of  the  world,  maintaining  alone  a  vast  front 
of  twelve  hundred  miles  for  nearly  three  years.  Second, 
Russia  has  had  the  greatest  political  revolution  of  modern 
times,  perhaps  also  of  ancient  or  modern  times.  She  has 
swung  from  a  cruel  and  dark  autocracy  to  a  government 
wholly  in  the  hands  of  the  working  class.  Third,  she  has 
undergone  a  social  revolution  which  is  the  greatest  social  up- 
heaval of  this  or  any  age.  Fourth,  she  is  in  the  midst  of  a 
striking  religious  revolution,  which  has  not  received  so  much 
attention  as  the  political  and  social  revolution,  but  which  has 
already  brought  tolerance  to  faiths  and  sects  persecuted  for 
centuries  and  which  has  great  possibilities  for  the  religious 
future  of  Russia. 


THE  REBUILDING  OF  EUROPE  163 

While  iimcli  of  the  movement  of  this  turbulent  whirlpool 
in  Russia  cannot  be  rightly  interpreted  at  present,  in  two 
respects  it  is  clearly  to  be  seen  that  the  course  of  events  has 
been  inevitable.  One  is  that  the  great  revokition  was  the  sUre 
fruit  of  a  blind  and  brutal  tyranny.  The  other  is  that  a  safe 
democracy  cannot  exist  among  a  people  unprepared  for  it. 
The  world  has  never  been  treated  to  a  more  conclusive 
demonstration  that  a  democracy  without  sure  foundations  in 
universal  education  and  moral  and  spiritual  enlightenment 
is  a  menace  to  the  world.  The  collapse  of  Russia,  her  failing 
the  allied  nations  at  a  crucial  hour  in  the  great  struggle,  and 
the  internal  weakness,  of  her  improvised  democracy,  have 
shown  with  terrible  emphasis  the  havoc  that  may  be  wrought 
by  democracy  without  the  essential  conditions  of  success. 

The  Fruit  of  Tyranny 

The  revolution  which  blew  the  autocracy  of  the  Tsar  to 
atoms  was  the  inevitable  result  of  a  repressive  tyranny.  Its 
coming  was  as  sure  as  the  explosion  of  a  steam  boiler  which 
has  no  outlet.  However  disappointing  the  year's  collapse  of 
Russia  as  an  ally  and  the  feebleness  of  the  Bolsheviki 
government  was,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  freeing 
of  the  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  millions  of  Russia  from 
the  iron  heel  of  despotism  is  one  of  the  greatest  results  of  the 
war  and  one  of  the  largest  single  steps  ever  taken  in  the 
world's  march  to  freedom.  A  few  months  before  the  crash 
came  the  Tsar's  brother  wrote  a  warning  letter  to  Nicholas 
in  which  he  said,  "The  time  is  by  when  nine  tenths  of  the 
people  can  be  treated  as  manure  to  grow  a  few  roses. ' '  This 
handwriting  on  the  wall  was  disregarded,  but  the  rising  tor- 
rent of  revoluti(5n  soon  proved  the  truth  of  the  words.  The 
liberation  of  Russia  has  come  in  response  to  that  same  divine 
voice  which  first  sounded  when  the  Israelites  were  oppressed 
in  Egypt, '  *  Let  my  people  go ! " 

The  Dark  Ages  in  Russia  have  existed  up  until  the  pres- 
ent time.    The  autocracy  of  Russia  was  blind,  untouched  by 


164    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

any  reason  whatever  at  times  and  securing  few  of  the  results 
desired.  The  old  spirit  of  the  Russian  government  is  well 
exhibited  by  the  system  of  exile  to  Siberia  for  even  minor 
political  offenses,  and  the  treatment  of  the  Jews.  In  the 
words  of  Professor  E.  A.  Ross,  ''The  government  lit  no 
lamps  for  the  people,  nor  would  it  allow  others  to  do  so 
freely. ' '  ^  The  workmen  were  held  down  with  a  hard  cruelty 
long  since  abandoned  in  western  Europe.  One  third  of  the 
agricultural  land  of  Russia  was  in  the  hands  of  110,000 
nobles,  out  of  a  population  of  over  160,000,000.  The  whole 
social  system  was  designed  to  concentrate  the  good  things  of 
life  in  the  hands  of  the  few  at  the  top  of  the  social  pja-amid 
and  distribute  all  the  burdens  possible  to  the  shoulders  of  the 
common  people  at  the  bottom.  This  oppressive  result  was 
secured  by  the  cooperation  of  the  absolute  power  of  the 
autocracy,  the  subservient  spirit  of  office  holders,  a  captive 
church, ' '  safe ' '  teaching  in  what  schools  there  were,  by  class 
distinctions  in  the  law  code,  the  tax  system  weighing  heaviest 
on  the  poor,  the  police,  and  spies. 

Unprepaked  for  Democracy 

The  result  of  these  centuries  of  oppression  has  been  that 
when  the  despotic  yoke  of  the  Tsar  was  overthrown,  the  peo- 
ple of  Russia  were  entirely  unprepared  to  maintain  a  se- 
cure democracy.  The  government  kept  the  people  in  dark- 
ness, and  now  that  the  despotism  is  overthrown,  the  people 
do  not  understand  the  nature  of  liberty  or  the  necessity  of 
making  adjustments  by  law.  ' '  They  are  too  ignorant  to  per- 
ceive the  fallacies  of  agitators  who  urge  them  to  take  what 
they  want  now. ' '  ^  Eighty-three  per  cent  of  the  population 
above  nine  years  were  reported  illiterate  in  1908,  and  this 
figure  is  still  given  even  by  Russian  professors.^  It  is  not 
surprising  that  in  its  new  found  liberty  Russia  has  been 

'  Ross,  Russia  In  Upheaval,  p.  217. 
'Ibid.,  p.  16. 
^Ibid.,  p.  112. 


THE  REBUILDING  OF  EUROPE  165 

rearing  and  plunging  like  her  own  wild  horses  on  the 
Steppes.  ' '  To  look  for  a  national  consciousness, ' '  says  Prof. 
Ross,  "among  people  who  have  no  mental  image  of  Russia, 
never  saw  a  map  of  the  world,  and  could  not  locate  their 
country  on  such  a  map,  would  be  folly."  ^  This  unpre- 
paredness  for  democracy  has  been  a  tragedy  of  the  gravest 
sort  in  the  present  world  struggle.  It  demonstrates  the 
serious  obstacles  to  world  democracy  which  exist  in  the 
ignorance  and  moral  weakness  upon  the  part  of  multitudes 
who  desire  to  participate  in  it.  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the 
truth  of  the  forcible  words  of  Bishop  Bashford,  "Had 
Protestantism  spent  forty  millions  of  dollars  in  missionary 
work  in  Russia  during  the  last  forty  years,  Russian  democ- 
racy would  stand  the  crisis  firmly  and  would  be  worth  forty 
billions  of  dollars  in  terminating  the  war. ' ' 

What  of  the  Future? 

It  would  be  a  foolhardy  prophet  who  would  risk  his 
reputation  by  trying  to  foretell  the  exact  course  of  events 
in  Russia  for  even  a  few  weeks. 

"What  do  you  think  about  Russia?"  one  man  asked  an- 
other recently  on  a  street  car. 

"I  haven't  seen  a  paper  since  an  hour  ago,"  was  the 
discreet  answer  he  received. 

All  predictions  about  Russia  must  be  made  with  some- 
thing of  the  same  undogmatic  discretion. 

The  eyes  of  the  world  are  eagerly  focused  on  Russia 
to-day.  Vital  questions  press  for  an  answer :  How  long  will 
the  present  Bolsheviki^  government  stand?  What  success 
will  the  allied  nations  have  in  saving  Russia  from  complete 
domination  by  Germany?  Can  a  famine  and  disease,  involv- 
ing the  lives  of  millions,  be  averted?    But  amid  all  the  com- 

'  Ross,  Russia  In  Upheaval,  p.  115. 

-  The  name  "Bolshevik"   means  "member  of  a  majority."     The  aim 
of  the  Bolshevik  party   was   the  establishment  of  a  state   in    which   the 
workers  control.     The  Sovyet  is  a  council  of  delegates  chosen  by  groups 
of  workers. 


166    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

plex  maze  of  possibilities,  one  thing  stands  out  clearly.  If 
Russia  is  ever  to  emerge  out  of  her  present  upheaval  as  a 
safe,  solvent,  and  just  democracy,  there  must  develop  within 
it  the  forces  which  have  made  democracy  free  and  safe  any- 
where, universal  education,  enlightenment,  and  vigorous 
moral  and  spiritual  ideals.  Upon  the  free  Christian 
churches  of  the  world  rests  the  pressing  responsibility  of 
bringing  aid  so  that  these  saving  forces  may  be  released  and 
developed  in  the  democracy  of  Russia. 

The  Present  Opportunity 

The  throne  of  the  Tsars  is  not  the  only  thing  which  has 
been  blown  sky-high  in  the  revolutionary  explosion.  .  Old 
doors  of  exclusiveness  have  been  lifted  off  their  hinges  and 
forbidding  barriers  razed  to  the  ground.  In  many  respects 
Russia  presents  a  unique  opportunity  in  Christian  history  to 
help  shape  the  foundations  of  a  new  national  life  among  a 
great  people  coming  out  of  oppression  into  liberty.  It  is 
an  opportunity *of  service  not  only  to  Russia,  but  to  the  whole 
world.  There  are  many  foundations  for  the  hope  of  a  strong 
Christian  democracy  in  Russia  if  the*  necessary  leadership 
and  assistance  are  forthcoming. 

The  Russian  Character 

The  national  Russian  character  possesses  many  and 
strong  virtues  which  promise  an  immense  contribution  to  the 
world.  They  are  virtues  intimately  associated  with  Chris- 
tianity and  will  undoubtedly  j^rove  an  immense  power  in  the 
establishment  of  a  spirit  of  brotherhood  and  sympathy 
throughout  the  world.  No  people  have  such  a  quick  impulse 
of  sympathy  for  a  fellow  man  as  the  Russians.  They  mani- 
fest a  genuine  Christian  spirit  by  a  hundred  tokens.  Trav- 
elers report  that  early  in  the  war  peasants  would  give  all 
their  stock  of  food  to  the  passing  Polish  and  Jewish  refugees. 
The  millions  who  fled  into  Russia  before  the  advancing 
German  armies  met  with  wonderful  kindness  and  generosity. 


THE  REBUILDING  OF  EUROPE 


167 


They  are  a  prevailing  peaceful  people.  Russian  militarism  is 
an  alien  thing  of  Prussian  origin  settled  upon  the  people. 
No  more  democratic  people  by  their  nature  and  long  habits 


AFTER  THE  WAR— WHAT? 

The  countries  of  Europe  in  which  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  work  are  indicated  in 
white 


of  life  exists  than  the  great  mass  of  Russia.  Nor  is  there 
any  great  people  more  idealistic.  Observers  have  always 
been  struck  with  the  serious-mindedness  aud  depth  of  the 


168    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

people.  Whether  this  is  to  be  ascribed,  as  is  commonly  done, 
to  the  savage  Russian  winter  or  not,  it  is  a  trait  of  character 
of  the  largest  possibilities.  Their  characteristic  of  striking 
orderliness  has  not  failed  them  in  the  turbulent  days  of 
revolution.^  In  spite  of  all  the  upheaval,  the  period  of  seven 
years  after  the  French  Revolution  was  far  worse  in  every 
respect  than  that  through  which  Russia  is  now  passing.  The 
Russians  are  great  in  patience.  It  is  often  predicted  that 
the  Russians  will  be  the  first  to  forgive  after  the  war  is  over. 
These  racial  characteristics  form  a  large  basis  for  hope  of  a 
great  democratic  nation. 

The  New  Era  in  the  Russian  Church 

The  State  Church  of  Russia,  the  Greek  Orthodox  Cath- 
olic Church,  has  been  unchanged  through  the  centuries,  being 
occupied  far  more  with  ritual  than  with  teaching.  Un- 
like our  Protestant  churches  it  has  striven  neither  to  in- 
struct nor  to  develop  attitudes  of  the  will.  It  has  been  the 
servant  of  the  autocratic  government.  But  it  has  shared  in 
the  democratic  revolution  and  is  at  present  undergoing  a 
transformation  which  holds  large  possibilities.  Religious 
toleration  has  at  last  been  achieved  and  the  long  era  of  per- 
secution and  exclusiveness  ended.  All  religions  now  stand 
on  an  equality.  The  Orthodox  Church  itself  is  undergoing 
a  process  of  democratization  and  a  break  with  the  old 
autocratic  method  of  church  government  has  been  made. 
Old  corruptions  are  being  corrected  and  many  signs  of  spir- 
itual quickening  are  at  hand,  such  as  improving  the  parish 
life  of  the  churches,  the  larger  use  of  preaching.  This  situ- 
ation points  the  way  to  the  opportunity  of  influencing  with 
the  principles  and  spirit  of  evangelistic  Christianity  that 
great  ecclesiastical  establishment,  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
world,  with  115,000,000  members.  It  will  require  wise  and 
sympathetic  action. 


'  Fred  P.  Haggard,  Journal  of  Race  Development,  January,  1918,  p.  291. 


THE  REBUILDING  OF  EUROPE  169 

Methodism  in  Russia 

Methodism  is  already  located  in  Petrograd  in  a  mission 
which  has  made  substantial  progress  under  grave  handicap 
under  the  old  autocratic  regime.  In  the  changed  situation 
which  is  presented  in  Russia  that  effort  must  be  strength- 
ened and  enlarged.  In  the  field  of  education  there  is  a  pecu- 
liarly large  opportunity.  The  jjlanting  of  some  strong 
schools  will  be  eagerly  welcomed  and  will  afford  a  strategic 
center  of  influence  and  be  one  of  the  most  effective  ap- 
proaches to  the  whole  religious  problem  of  Russia.  Some  of 
the  greatest  weaknesses  of  Russia  have  been  the  lack  of 
standards,  intellectual,  economic,  and  moral.  Christian  edu- 
cation of  a  broad  and  modern  type  under  free  and  vigorous 
Protestant  auspices  can  do  much  in  strengthening  the 
foundations  of  the  new  Russia  now  rising  on  the  wreck  of 
the  Bolsheviki  regime.  A  close  relation  to  young  Russia  is 
the  line  of  action  dictated  by  America's  pledge  to  Demo- 
cracy, Humanity,  and  Freedom. 

France 

The  strains  of  ''The  Marseillaise"  are  resounding 
throughout  the  world.  In  a  very  real  sense  France  has 
saved  the  world,  and  the  largest  part  of  the  world  looks  to 
France  with  feelings  of  reverent  devotion  and  gratitude. 
Those  feelings  on  the  part  of  America  have  already  found 
expression  both  in  military  comradeship  in  arms  and  in 
large  ministries  of  mercy,  and  will  continue  to  find  expres- 
sion after  the  war  is  over.  The  debt  which  civilization  owes 
to  France  can  never  be  reckoned  and  never  be  paid.  The 
heroic  valor  of  her  soldiers  and  the  indomitable  spirit  and 
cheerful  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  all  her  people  will  furnish 
inspiration  to  the  whole  human  race  for  ages  to  come.  The 
United  States  will  surely  regard  the  opportunity  of  assist- 
ing in  the  rebuilding  of  France  as  a  high  privilege.  The 
comradeship  of  the  two  nations  now  expressed  in  arms  must 
be  continued  after  the  war  in  works  of  reconstruction. 


170    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

To-MORKOw^s  Tasks 

That  rebuilding,  as  elsewhere  in  Europe,  will  take  many 
forms,  and  among  them  and  interpenetrating  all  will  be  the 
religious.  A  new  spirit  has  been  liberated  in  France  dur- 
ing the  war,  a  quickening  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the  nation. 
The  witnesses  of  that  new  spirit  are  present  in  a  thousand 
forms.  Just  how  that  spirit  will  affect  the  institutionalized 
religion  of  France  cannot  be  definitely  predicted,  but  it  is 
evident  that  it  offers  an  increased  receptivity  to  a  free  spir- 
itual message. 

To  the  established  French  work  of  Methodism,  the  pres- 
ent and  immediate  days  to  come  present  two  urgent  calls, 
which  are  closely  related.  The  first  is  to  bear  an  earnest 
part  in  the  great  task  of  helping  France  rebuild,  particularly 
in  caring  for  her  orphans  and  educating  them,  thus  conserv- 
ing her  priceless  human  wealth.  The  second  is  to  minister  to 
the  awakened  spiritual  aspiration  and  life.  All  Europe, 
along  with  France,  greatly  needs  a  statement  of  Christ  which 
shall  be  modern  and  vital  and  which  shall  make  a  direct 
appeal  to  the  mind  and  heart. 

The  Spieit  of  Approach 

Methodism  approaches  the  opportunity  of  service  in 
France  with  humility,  reverence,  and  gratitude.  The  large 
spiritual  ministry  which  France  has  given  and  is  giving  to 
the  United  States  in  her  heroic  and  sacrificing  devotion  to 
liberty,  justice,  and  humanity  has  uplifted  our  own  national 
life  to  a  degree  beyond  computation.  That  we  shall  never 
forget.  In  grateful  spirit  we  would  seek  to  bring  to  France, 
so  largely  without  definite  religious  connections,  a  Christian 
evangel  unfettered  by  ecclesiasticism,  which  shall  strengthen 
her  own  spiritual  life.  The  religious  situation  in  France 
is  peculiar.  There  is  a  socialistic  section  of  the  nation  which 
is  strongly  antireligious  and  therefore  anti-Catholic.  The 
great  middle  class,  which  takes  in  four  fifths  of  the  French 


THE  REBUILDING  OF  EUROPE  171 

people,  from  peasant  to  intellectual,  have  very  little  relation 
to  any  religious  institution  save  that  they  have  been  bap- 
tized and  confirmed  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  The 
French  Protestant  Church,  though  influential  out  of  propor- 
tion to  its  numbers,  has  not  been  an  aggressive  propagating 
force.  The  strong  anticlerical  movement  which  resulted  in 
the  disestablishment  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  a  few 
years  ago  left  large  numbers  entirely  outside  of  the  influence 
of  any  form  of  Christianity.  At  the  time  of  the  disestablish- 
ment Rome  claimed  at  the  most  only  five  or  six  million  loyal 
Catholics.  At  the  present  time  the  French  man  or  woman 
whose  religious  impulses  have  been  quickened  by  the  war, 
has  practically  no  choice  between  agnosticism  on  the  one 
hand  and  a  form  of  Roman  faith  on  the  otlier.^ 

That  the  great  unchurched  masses  of  France  accord  a 
ready  hearing  to  the  message  of  evangelical  Christianity  has 
been  amply  demonstrated  by  the  success  of  the  Methodist 
evangelistic  work  before  the  war,  in  the  Savoy  district. 
Many  churches  were  planted  and  a  promising  orphanage 
work  developed.  The  present  activity  is  centered  on  the 
orphanage  work  at  Grenoble,  where  an  important  service  is 
being  rendered,  helping  to  meet  two  pressing  needs  of 
France,  the  preservation  and  education  of  her  children  and 
the  problem  of  feeding  her  people  after  the  war.  At  Grenoble 
our  church  is  conducting  an  agricultural  school  for  soldiers' 
orphans,  in  connection  with  which  a  farm  is  operated.  It  is 
the  nucleus  for  a  great  new  agricultural  and  industrial 
school  which  will  be  of  large  service.  In  this  connection  the 
important  war  orphans'  work  of  the  Woman's  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  Methodist  Church  must  not  be  over- 
looked. For  this  purpose  $45,000  has  been  appropriated,  of 
which  $30,000  will  be  used  for  building  an  orphanage. 

After  the  war  the  evangelistic  opportunity  will  be  even 
larger.  The  new  bonds  which  unite  France  and  the  United 
States,  the  service  of  the  Red  Cross  and  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  in  addi- 


'  Tyler  Dennett,  World  Outlook,  November,  1917. 


172    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

tion  to  the  awakened  religious  spirit  of  the  French,  all  mark 
a  new  day  of  opportunity.  Plans  for  cooperation  with  the 
French  Protestant  Church  are  already  being  made. 

Italy 

The  war  has  affected  the  Methodist  work  in  Italy  in  two 
diverse  ways.  On  the  one  hand,  it  has  destroyed  many 
churches  in  the  battle  zone  of  north  Italy,  taken  toll  of  many 
of  the  members  and  leaders  and  crippled  the  work  in  every 
part  of  the  country.  On  the  other  hand,  it  has  greatly  in- 
creased the  prestige  and  prospects  of  our  work  by  disclosing 
Methodism  as  a  national  force  of  high  patriotic  feeling  and 
vital  influence.  There  is  no  doubt  that  Methodism  has  per- 
manently gained  increased  confidence  and  good  will,  which 
will  lead  to  larger  service  in  future  years.  At  the  Annual 
Conference  in  Florence,  in  April,  1918,  half  of  the  min- 
isterial forces  were  appointed  to  service  in  the  armies.  Many 
of  the  preachers  have  been  decorated  for  valor  in  action. 
The  Italian  government  has  recognized  the  value  of  Italian 
Methodism  in  the  official  appointment  of  Methodist  chap- 
lains in  the  army. 

The  Methodist  work  and  program  in  Italy  appeals 
strongly  to  the  liberals  of  the  country.  The  authority  and 
prestige  of  the  Vatican  have  been  materially  lessened  during 
the  war  by  the  failure  of  the  Pope  to  take  a  stand  with  Italy 
on  the  moral  issues  of  the  war,  and  already  there  are  many 
indications  of  an  increased  receptivity  after  the  war  toward 
a  free  evangelical  Christianity. 

Lines  of  Advance 

Methodism  is  on  a  firm  foundation  in  Italy  with  a  col- 
lege, publishing  house,  schools,  and  churches.  Perhaps  the 
most  strategic  advance  now  planned  is  the  completion  of  the 
Collegio  at  Rome  for  which  a  magnificent  site  has  been  pur- 
chased on  Monte  Mario  overlooking  Saint  Peter's  Cathedral. 
This  will  insure  an  evangelical  Christian  leadership  for  the 


THE  REBUILDING  OF  EUROPE  173 

work  in  the  whole  kingdom  and  will  extend  and  increase  the 
already  remarkable  work  of  the  Collegio.  Another  educa- 
tional project  now  in  successful  operation  which  must  be 
strengthened  for  increased  influence  is  the  industrial  school 
in  Venice.  The  opportunity  for  these  institutions  is  many 
times  greater  to-day  than  it  was  before  the  war,  because  the 
government  is  too  poor  to  maintain  its  school  system  and  so 
will  welcome  all  institutions  that  desire  to  render  service  to 
Italy. 

In  addition  to  these  educational  projects  there  is  need 
for  extending  the  evangelistic  work  of  the  churches  both  in 
men  and  money  for  the  increased  opportunity  of  the  coming 
years. 

Italy  and  the  United  States  are  standing  closer  to- 
gether than  ever  before.  The  flag  of  Italy,  so  little  known 
here  a  few  years  ago,  is  becoming  almost  as  well  known  as 
the  Union  Jack  or  the  tri-color  of  France.  It  is  coming  to 
be  a  dearly  loved  flag  as  well,  all  over  our  land.  It  is  a 
highly  favorable  day  in  which  to  express  our  feeling  of 
alliance  with  Italy  in  ways  that  will  strengthen  her  national 
life  and  democratic  ideals. 

Other  Nations 

In  many  other  countries  Methodism  is  bearing  the 
strain  and  stress  of  war  and  will  face  large  tasks  with 
slender  resources  after  it  is  over.  We  are  in  Bulgaria,  and 
responsible  for  Serbia  and  Roumania,  wholly  unoccupied  by 
Protestantism.  What  needier  field  in  which  to  play  the 
good  Samaritan  than  these  three  storm-tossed  Balkan 
countries?  In  Switzerland,  in  Scandinavia,  in  Denmark, 
our  work  has  undoubtedly  suffered  under  the  strain.  And 
finally — 

Germany 

What  can  be  said  of  Germany?  How  can  any  one  pic- 
ture the  suffering  of  German  Methodists,  or  of  those  of 


174    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

Austria?  What  tlie  state  of  the  Methodist  Church  in 
Germany,  once  so  vigorous  and  promising,  will  be  after  the 
war  cannot  be  foreseen  at  present.  But  two  considerations 
must  be  kept  in  mind.  One  is  that  the  great  ideal  of  brother- 
hood in  Christ  never  needed  such  large  and  compelling  state- 
ment as  it  does  to-day  and  will  need  in  the  days  that  follow 
the  war.  No  force  will  be  so  effective  in  making  that  ideal 
a  reality  as  the  church  founded  on  that  ideal.  European 
Methodism,  located  on  both  sides  of  the  firing  line,  will  be- 
come immediately  effective  in  the  direly  needed  ministry  of 
reconciliation  when  the  firing  ceases. 

The  other  consideration  to  be  remembered  in  connection 
with  German  and  Austrian  Methodism  is  its  great  possible 
service  to  the  growth  of  democracy  within  those  countries. 
It  is  a  growth  for  which  we  long  and  pray.  The  future  peace 
and  happiness  of  the  world  will  be  largely  affected  by  the 
establishment  of  democracy  within  the  German  empire,  and 
no  influence  will  work  so  mightily  for  that  result  as  a  free 
and  vigorous  evangelical  Christianity  uncontrolled  by  the 
state,  boldly  declaring  the  freedom  and  inalienable  rights 
of  every  man  as  a  child  of  God.  For  that  reason  we  may 
earnestly  pray  that  Methodism  among  the  Central  Powers 
may  wax  strong  in  numbers  and  influence. 


It  is  the  time  of  times  to  do  something  that  reminds  people  that 
we  believe  our  religion.  Things  that  are  impossible  with  men  have  ever 
been  the  most  attractive  things  for  Christ. — John  R.  Mott. 

England  possessed  a  superb  architect  of  genius,  Sir  Christopher 
Wren.  He  prepared  a  magnificent  design  for  rebuilding  the  city  of 
London  which  he  would  have  made  the  noblest  and  most  magnificent  city 
in  the  world.  The  central  idea  was  Saint  Paul's  Cathedral,  and  "Wren 
meant  it  to  be  approached  by  a  stately  colonnade  leading  up  from  what 
is  now  Ludgate  Hill.  All  the  rest  of  the  city  was  to  be  grouped  around. 
The  king  and  Parliament  accepted  the  plans,  but  it  was  a  melancholy 
fact  that  the  scheme  was  thrust  aside  by  the  haste  of  the  commercial 
interest  to  begin  rebuilding,  and  by  the  unwillingness  of  the  citizens  to 
cooperate  for  the  common  good.  The  supreme  moment  was  lost.  Sel- 
fishness rose  and  spoiled  the  picture.  The  old  London,  with  its  narrow- 
ness, its  crookedness,  its  inconvenience,  remained  as  it  will  be  with  us  to 
the  end.  Shall  the  new  world  after  the  war  perpetuate  the  crookedness, 
the  narrowness  of  the  world  before  the  war? — W.  Blachshaw. 

Never  can  the  church  say  to  any  young  missionary,  "Young  man,  sit 
down!"  when  the  country  is  calling  its  young  soldiers  to  enlist.  Never 
can  the  church  be  content  to  become  parochial  when  the  mind  of  the 
country  is  becoming  international.  When  the  thoughts  of  all  living  men 
are  widened  by  the  process  of  the  suns,  then  is  the  very  time  to  widen 
the  endeavor  of  the  Christian  Church. — W.  H.  P.  Faunce. 


178    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

frail  body  soon  burned  itself  out  with  fever,  but  whose  grave 
in  the  African  sands  has  made  one  spot  of  that  great  con- 
tinent forever  American,  from  which  he  still  calls  in  his  dy- 
ing exhortation,  ''Let  a  thousand  fall,  before  Africa  be 
given  up!" 

The  close  of  the  century  sees  the  church  set  full  in  the 
stream  of  modern  life,  building  the  evangel  of  Christ  into 
the  life  of  thirty-four  countries.  It  is  raising  a  vigorous 
native  church,  which  is  itself  carrying  the  propaganda  of 
the  Kingdom  in  the  Far  East,  in  Africa,  in  India,  and  South 
America.  The  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  has  1,071  mis- 
sionaries and  9,107  native  workers.  The  Woman's  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  has  500  missionaries  and  4,003  native 
workers.  The  total  staff,  therefore,  is  14,680,  of  whom  about 
nine  out  of  every  ten  are  native  workers.  The  vitality  of 
the  native  church  in  mission  lands  may  be  fairly  judged  by 
the  fact  that  for  every  three  dollars  contributed  by  the  Home 
Base,  about  one  dollar  is  collected  on  the  field.  When  we  re- 
member that  most  of  these  fields  are  lands  of  dire  poverty, 
the  showing  is  remarkable.  On  the  foreign  field  there  are 
442,765  members,  2,516  churches  and  chapels,  106  high 
schools  and  colleges,  36  theological  and  biblical  schools, 
2,853  primary  and  other  schools,  and  49  hospitals.  There 
are  to-day  7,440  Sunday  schools  with  an  enrollment  of 
346,793.  The  potential  strength  which  this  Sunday  school 
host  means  to  the  church  of  to-morrow  cannot  be  meas- 
ured. 

The  Obligation  of  Democratic  Ideals 

In  a  day  of  democratic  striving  the  world  over,  a 
church  born  of  democratic  ideals,  a  force  for  social  progress 
in  its  very  birth  hour,  and  during  all  its  history  a  church  of 
the  common  people,  cannot  escape  the  responsibility  of 
world-service  for  democracy.  In  the  democratic  awakening 
in  England  in  the  eighteenth  century  the  Methodist  revival 
under  Wesley  played  a  vital  part.    The  English  historian 


A  WORLD  PROGRAM  179 

Lecky  reckons  the  Methodist  revival  as  one  of  the  greatest 
forces  for  social  progress  in  the  century.  **The  democracy 
of  the  Methodist  Movement,"  in  the  words  of  a  recent  his- 
torian, "was  founded  upon  the  eternal  possibility  before 
every  man."  The  religious  revival  preceded  and  made  pos- 
sible in  large  degree  the  steady  march  of  democratic  pro- 
gress in  England  which  went  on  for  a  hundred  years,  secur- 
ing the  extension  of  the  right  to  vote,  the  protection  of 
workers  in  factories,  and  child  labor  laws.  And  now  that  the 
democratic  struggle  is  being  fought  out  on  a  world  scale, 
Methodism  must  answer  the  call  for  service  and  leadership 
in  that  struggle  for  which  her  birthright  and  experience 
have  so  splendidly  fitted  her. 

A  Vision  of  Woeld  Need 

In  the  chapters  of  this  book  we  have  lifted  up  our 
eyes  to  the  fields  to  whose  emancipation  our  church  is 
pledged.  We  have  scanned  the  horizon  of  China,  India, 
Japan,  and  Korea,  Malaysia  and  the  Philippines,  Africa, 
Europe,  and  Latin  America.  We  have  seen  men  of  different 
colors,  but  every  color  takes  on  a  darker  hue  from  the 
shadow  of  Christless  night  in  which  the  peoples  sit.  We 
have  listened  to  a  Babel  of  languages,  but  the  language  of 
human  need  is  one.  It  is  a  weary  world,  needing  many 
things,  but  needing  nothing  so  desperately  as  it  needs  Christ. 
We  have  gone  in  imagination  through  wide-open  doors,  and 
yet  the  figure  of  a  door  is  too  passive  and  mechanical.  It 
is  not  so  much  a  world  of  open  doors  that  stretches  out  be- 
fore us  as  a  world  of  imploring  hands.  It  is  a  darkened 
world,  where  over  one  half  the  human  race  cannot  read  or 
write  a  word  of  any  language ;  a  suffering  world  where  one 
half  the  human  race  is  without  a  knowledge  of  medicine, 
surgery,  hygiene,  or  sanitation. 

It  is  a  receptive  world.  H.  G.  Wells  is  a  true  seer  when 
he  reports:  ''All  mankind  is  seeking  God.  There  is  not  a 
nation  nor  a  city  in  the  globe  where  men  are  not  being  urged 


180    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

at  this  moment  by  the  Spirit  of  God  in  them  toward  the  dis- 
covery of  God."  ^ 

For  this  hour,  the  Centenary  World  Program  of  Meth- 
odism is  the  organized  strategy  of  the  love  of  Christ.  It 
must  stir  the  church  as  the  voice  of  God. 


The  Chuech's  Need  of  a  World  Crusade 

We  have  thought  of  this  program  as  one  for  the  salva- 
tion of  the  world,  and  so  it  is.  But  let  us  not  deceive  our- 
selves into  thinking  that  that  is  all.  It  is  a  necessary  under- 
taking for  the  salvation  of  the  church.  The  hour  has  struck 
when  the  Christian  Church  must  get  on  with  the  business  of 
establishing  the  kingdom  of  God  by  an  aggressive  warfare 
in  deadly  earnest  if  she  is  to  hold  the  allegiance  of  men.  In 
her  total  task  she  has  what  the  world  so  direly  needs,  ''The 
moral  equivalent  of  war ' ' ;  and  only  as  she  utilizes  all  her 
resources  for  that  one  tremendous  objective  can  she  lead  a 
world  which  has  become  accustomed  to  a  war  footing. 
There  is  no  other  idea  large  enough  to  serve  ''as  a  moral 
equivalent  to  war"  than  the  adventure  of  applying  Chris- 
tianity to  a  desperately  needy  world.  All  the  "war  vir- 
tues," farsighted  planning,  quick  initiative,  unselfish  cour- 
age, disciplined  leadership,  obedience,  esprit  de  corps  and 
effective  cooperation,  may  find  permanent  and  satisfying 
place  in  the  crusade  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  task  to 
which  the  church  calls  men  must  be  large  and  daring  enough 
to  make  room  for  these  virtues,  else  it  will  not  appear  worth 
while.  For  the  war  has  taught  us  what  we  had  almost  for- 
gotten— that  a  great  response  can  always  be  brought  out  by 
a  great  appeal.  The  capacity  for  heroism  in  the  average 
i  man  and  woman  when  confronted  by  a  really  big  demand  has 

Ibeen  almost  a  revelation.    Merely  dabbling  with  its  task  will 
rally  no  army  to  the  standard  of  the  church.    The  church 


H.  G.  Wells,  God  the  Invisible  King. 


A  WORLD  PROGRAM  181 

must  be  saved  by  her  faith,  a  militant  and  aggressive  faith  in 
the  world-kingdom  of  God,  to  which  she  dedicates  her  all. 

The  Christian  Spieit  of  Adventure 

A  program  of  world-evangelization  and  uplift  such  as 
Methodism  has  before  her  will  recover  what  is  essential  in 
Christianity  and  what  has  possessed  the  strongest  appeal 
to  men  since  the  days  of  Christ,  the  spirit  of  adventure.  The 
church  is  an  institution,  of  course,  but  Christianity  is  more 
than  that.  It  is  an  adventure,  an  enterprise,  a  crusade.  "It 
was  intended  for  the  arena ;  it  is  helmed  and  girded  for  the 
quick  encounter,  it  sends  out  its  knights  and  men-at-arms  to 
battle. ' '  ^  The  moral  and  spiritual  authority  which  we  crave 
for  Christ's  church,  the  power  to  command  the  enthusiasm 
and  service  of  men  will  be  hers  when  she  flings  herself  into 
and  holds  before  them  a  great  positive  offensive  movement. 
Mr.  Clutton-Brock,  in  words  that  bite,  has  described  the 
source  of  much  of  the  weakness  of  organized  Christianity. 

''Christianity,"  he  says,  ''has  lost  its  power  of  coher- 
ence, its  joy,  its  power  of  laughter,  because  it  has  been 
merely  on  the  defensive.  There  we  stand,  entrenched  in  our 
carefully  fortified  lines  which  cover  the  narrow  territory  we 
are  holding  on  to,  without  the  strategic  initiative  that  goes 
with  victory."  2  "We  are  afraid — so  many  of  us — to  take 
risks  and  make  history,  afraid  to  think  imperially  in  the 
cause  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  afraid  of  all  the  reconstruc- 
tion and  enterprise  that  must  go  with  war.  We  rely  upon 
apology,  and  dreading  the  disasters  which  might  follow 
frontal  attacks  upon  deeply  entrenched  evils,  we  strafe  them 
from  a  distance  with  long-range  fire.  Timid  and  divided 
counsels,  which  would  bring  certain  failure  on  the  Somme  or 
at  Arras,  first  limit  and  then  wreck  our  scheme  for  progress 
and  reform.    We  have  grown  contented,  or  are  only  feebly 


•  F.  B.  MacNutt,  The  Church  in  the  Furnace,  p.  17. 
=  A.  Clutton-Brock,  The  Ultimate  Faith. 


182    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

discontented,  with  our  limitations,  and  year  after  year  we 
settle  down  to  our  trenches  for  another  winter. ' '  ^ 

Only  one  course  is  large  enough  for  the  emergency — 
to  do  boldly  what  Jesus  did,  put  the  Kingdom  and  the  Cross 
in  the  very  center  of  our  message  and  life.  And  the  Cross  in 
terms  of  modern  life  means  getting  under  the  world's  need 
and  burden  with  a  force  strong  enough  to  lift  it. 

The  Favoring  Conditions  To-day  for  the  World  Program 

The  unfavorable  conditions  are  far  more  easily  seen 
perhaps.  The  great  preoccupation — the  war — with  its  long 
train  of  financial  and  other  calls  which  must  be  swiftly  and 
fully  met,  makes  the  task  larger  and  harder  in  many  ways. 
But  one  who  enters  deeply  into  the  temper  of  the  times  can- 
not fail  to  feel  that  there  are  great  and  new  forces  at  work 
in  our  national  life  which  make  it  a  day  of  unprecedented 
opportunity  for  initiating  a  wide  and  sacrificial  missionary 
undertaking  which  has  a  truly  great  challenge  and  promise. 

A  Day  of  Large  Things 

It  is  a  day  of  large  things.  The  leadership  of  the  world 
is  thinking  and  acting  in  larger  terms  than  ever  before.  The 
scale  on  which  resources  are  being  mobilized  in  the  countries 
at  war,  the  new  standards  of  thinking  in  military  circles,  in 
scientific  realms,  in  the  financial  world,  all  present  a  tre- 
mendous challenge  to  forsake  the  old  standards  forever  and 
to  lift  the  program  of  the  Kingdom  into  new  terms  greater 
and  more  expansive  than  those  of  all  other  organizations. 
In  our  first  year  of  war  the  United  States  gave  to  humani- 
tarian and  Christian  objects  for  which  great  campaigns 
were  conducted,  $330,000,000.  In  no  previous  year  had 
there  ever  been  given  to  corresponding  objects  more  than 
$30,000,000.  The  Red  Cross  in  its  first  campaign  asked  for 
$100,000,000.  It  received  $120,000,000.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
asked  for  $35,000,000  in  November,  1917;  it  received  over 
'  F.  B.  MacNutt,  The  Church  in  the  Furnace. 


A  WORLD  PROGRAM  183 

$50,000,000.  People  are  accustomed  to  thinking  in  large 
dimensions ;  old  standards  of  measuring  and  thinking  have 
been  abandoned.  In  addition  to  that,  while  Christian  peo- 
ple in  the  United  States  are  in  the  war  whole-heartedly  to  see 
it  through  to  final  victory,  there  is  an  increasing  longing  for 
something  constructive  rather  than  merely  destructive,  that 
builds  rather  than  batters  down.  And  in  the  words  of 
Bishop  Bashford,  "The  Centenary  World  Program  is  the 
most  constructive  and  statesmanlike  project  before  the 
world  to-day." 

A  Day  Favorable  to  American  World-Influence 

When  President  Wilson  delivered  his  message  to  Con- 
gress at  its  assembling,  December  4,  1917,  the  telegraph 
lines  and  cables  of  the  whole  world  were  connected  up  and 
held  in  readiness,  so  that  his  words  might  be  flashed  to  every 
corner  of  the  earth  without  the  loss  of  an  unnecessary 
second.  That  network  of  wires  running  out  to  the  waiting 
millions  of  the  earth  is  a  symbol  of  the  new  position  of 
America  to-day.  President  Wilson  has  become  the  enthusi- 
astically accepted  spokesman  for  the  Allied  nations.  In  the 
words  of  StepHane  Lauzanne,  editor  Le  Matin,  Paris, 
''President  Wilson's  addresses  are  the  gospel  of  the  Allied 
cause.  In  his  message  of  April  2,  as  well  as  in  those  that  fol- 
lowed it,  the  Allies  found  the  echo  of  their  own  sentiments, 
of  their  own  will,  their  own  hopes,  strengthened  in  volume 
by  distance."^  From  England  Frederic  Harrison  writes: 
' '  The  American  President  has  put  the  whole  case  of  the  war 
into  unanswerable  words.  The  material  and  moral  forces 
of  the  Old  World  seem  to  be  passing  over  to  the  New  World. 
Mr.  Wilson  is  now  the  most  powerful  ruler  the  world  has 
seen  for  at  least  one  hundred  years. "  ^ 

Never  was  there  throughout  the  world  so  favorable  a 

predisposition  for  whatever  moral  and  spiritual  leadership 

America  may  give.    The  embarking  of  the  United  States  in 

*  New  York  Times,  March  10,  1918. 

'The  Fortnightly  Review,  February,  1918. 


184    CHEISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

an  unselfish  war  for  the  rights  of  mankind — a  war  in  which 
it  has  nothing  to  gain  save  the  privilege  of  establishing  the 
victory  of  simple  faith,  humanity,  and  justice — is  a  unique 
spectacle  in  history.  The  nation's  rally  to  that  war  has 
brought  a  new  glory  to  Old  Glory — the  brightest  that  has 
ever  shone  on  its  folds.  The  flag  has  become  the  revered 
symbol  of  the  consecration  of  a  great  people  to  an  unselfish 
world  task  of  liberation.  "We  have  no  selfish  ends  to  serve. 
We  desire  no  conquest,  no  dominion.  We  seek  no  indem- 
nities for  ourselves,  no  material  compensation  for  the  sacri- 
fices we  shall  freely  make.  We  are  but  one  of  the  cham- 
pions of  the  rights  of  mankind."  ^  Up  to  May.  15,  1918,  the 
United  States  had  advanced  to  the  Allied  nations  $5,763,- 
850,000,  and  the  total  will  increase  every  month. 

What  does  this  new  position  of  the  United  States  mean 
in  terms  of  spiritual  opportunity?  Simply  that  God  has 
placed  before  us  a  pathway  to  world-spiritual  influence  such 
as  has  never  before  been  opened  to  a  people.  To  fail  to  use 
it  in  a  large  way  would  be  an  unthinkable  blunder. 

A  New  Saceificial  Temper 

A  new  sacrificial  temper  is  abroad  which  is  transform- 
ing the  national  life.  Idealism  has  waxed  strong  in  adver- 
sity. Multitudes  who  had  hitherto  lived  selfish  lives  have 
learned  the  joy  of  helping  to  bear  the  burdens  of  others. 
We  see  it  supremely  in  the  thousands  of  men  who  have 
freely  offered  themselves  to  meet  hardship,  pain,  and  death 
for  the  nation's  life. 

"Blow,  bugles,  blow.    They  brought  us,  for  our  dearth, 
Holiness,  lacked  so  long,  and  Love  and  Pain. 

Honor  has  come  back,  as  a  King,  to  earth 
And  paid  his  subjects  with  a  royal  wage; 

And  nobleness  walks  in  our  common  ways  again ; 
And  we  have  come  into  our  heritage."^ 


"  President  Wilson's  War  Message,  April  2,  1917. 

^  Rupert  Brooke,  "The  Dead."    Published  by  John  Lane  Co.    From  Col- 
lected Poems  of  Rupert  Brooke. 


A  WORLD  PROGRAM  185 

**The  call  of  national  necessity,  the  splendid  comrade- 
ship of  service  on  behalf  of  all  that  makes  life  moral  and 
spiritual  and  lifts  it  above  a  godless  chaos  that  is  ruled  by 
brute  force,  the  high  romance  of  giving  self  away  for  the 
more-than-self  which  is  the  background  of  all  idealism  and 
religion,  the  breaking  in  upon  smooth,  easy  living  of  a  sud- 
den demand  for  sacrifice — these  things  have  been  a  trumpet 
blast  to  the  soul  of  the  people  during  these  past  three 
years.  Men  who  once  appeared  to  be  absorbed  in  trivial- 
ities have  ridden  off  into  the  unknown  with  a  great  glory  at 
heart  that  none  can  take  away,  and  heroism  which  seemed 
to  have  vanished  from  the  earth  has  looked  at  us  again  out 
of  quiet,  shining  eyes,  splendidly  unconscious  of  anything 
but  that  it  is  fine  and  yet  quite  natural  to  venture  all  at  the 
call  of  duty.  We  have  seen  the  smaller  interests  of  the  state 
merged  in  the  great  flood  of  patriotism,  and  the  partisan  loy- 
alties of  political  life,  while  not  abolished,  yet  certainly  sub- 
ordinated to  the  higher  demands  of  national  service.  Al- 
most everywhere  we  have  heard  a  new  spirit  of  self-devotion 
confessing  the  obligation  to  give  one 's  share,  however  small, 
to  the  whole  effort  of  the  nation.  How  different  it  has  all 
been  from  the  deadly  inertia  of  the  past ! "  ^ 

That  spirit  is  abroad  in  the  land  from  coast  to  coast. 
Women  have  eagerly  sought  new  forms  of  service  and 
leaped  forward  to  undertake  responsibilities  hitherto  borne 
by  men.  Human  society  has  never  seemed  more  worth 
saving  than  it  does  now ;  nor  were  the  hearts  of  men  ever 
more  prepared  for  a  great  adventure. 

Surely,  it  is  God's  time  to  place  before  the  newly  dis- 
covered and  released  capacities  in  the  manhood  and  wo- 
manhood of  America  for  sacrifice,  leadershij^,  and  devotion, 
the  Christian  crusade  for  the  world's  true  freedom,  as  the 
completion  of  conflict  in  which  they  are  now  engaged.  It  is 
a  time  to  show  them  that  there  is  a  battle  line  that  extends 
not  merely  from  the  English  Channel  to  the  Mediterranean, 


*F.  B.  MacNutt,  The  Church  in  the  Furnace,  p.  18. 


186    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

but  which  stretches  out  against  the  strongholds  of  night  and 
evil  around  the  world;  and  a  battle  which  never  ceases  and 
in  whose  warfare  the  highest  and  most  heroic  qualities  of 
men  are  demanded.  These  new  gains  of  the  spirit  in  the 
men  and  women  of  America  in  these  days  will  make  the  re- 
sponse to  so  great  a  cause  sure  and  emphatic. 

The  Voice  of  Missioiiary  History 

That  such  a  hope  has  solid  foundations,  the  voice  of 
history  amply  testifies.  Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  the  super- 
ficial glance,  war  time  has  always  been  the  birthday  of  mis- 
sionary advance.  There  is  a  vital  relation  between  the  for- 
eign missionary  enterprise  and  the  widening  of  men's  hor- 
izon through  sacrifice  and  struggle.  It  was  during  the  War 
of  1812  that  foreign  missions  in  America  began  and  Judson 
sailed  for  India.  ^ '  The  church  did  not  wait  for  the  success 
of  our  navy,  but  sent  out  its  missionaries  because  moved  in 
some  measure  by  the  same  impulse  that  sent  forth  our  ship 
— by  a  determination  to  assert  human  freedom  for  America- 
and  for  all  the  world. ' '  ^  The  record  of  our  own  Civil  War 
days  is  eloquent.  Seldom  has  a  people  passed  through  a 
more  exhausting  crisis,  and  it  might  well  be  supposed  that 
foreign  missionary  societies  would  languish.  But  that  was 
the  very  period  when  new  ones  were  founded.  All  the  wo- 
men's missionary  organizations  were  founded  either  during 
or  at  the  close  of  the  war.  The  dark  and  critical  years  of 
1863  and  1864  witnessed  a  remarkable  rally  of  the  Christian 
people  of  North  America  to  maintain  their  missionary  enter- 
prises. The  supporters  of  the  American  Board  increased 
their  givings  by  $61,000  in  1863  and  by  $122,000  in  1864.^ 
From  1852  to  1862  the  average  income  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  for  home  and  foreign  missions  was  under 
$260,000 ;  in  1864  there  came  a  further  increase  of  $150,000, 
and  in  1865  a  still  further  increase  of  $83,000,  bringing  the 


*  W.  H.  p.  Faunce,  The  New  Horizon  of  Church  and  State,  p.  36. 
-  J.  H.  Oldham,  The  World  and  the  Gospel,  p.  62. 


A  WORLD  PROGRAM  187 

total  contribution  in  that  year  to  more  than  $618,000.  The 
same  is  true  in  larger  measure  of  our  own  time.  The  Lon- 
don Missionary  Society  last  year  cleared  off  a  large  in- 
debtedness and  carried  forward  its  work  without  diminu- 
tion. The  Missionary  Society  of  the  Wesleyan  Church  in 
England,  in  the  third  year  of  the  war,  received  the  largest 
income  that  it  has  ever  received  in  its  entire  history.  The 
Methodist  Church  in  Canada  received  a  larger  income  than 
it  had  ever  had  in  any  year  of  jjeace. 

These  records  prove  that  the  support  available  for  mis- 
sionary work  is  to  be  measured  not  by  the  material  wealth 
of  a  people,  but  by  the  spirit  which  animates  them.  They 
well  illustrate  the  truth  strikingly  expressed  by  John  R. 
Mott : ' '  The  history  of  the  world  and  all  Christianity  shows 
that  periods  of  suffering  have  for  some  reason  always  been 
great  creative  moments  with  God. ' ' 

A  Day  of  World  Horizons 

The  United  States  since  1914,  and  more  completely 
since  her  entry  into  the  war,  has  been  forced  to  think  in 
world  terms.  The  horizon  of  the  mind  of  the  average  citizen 
has  been  pushed  back  till  it  touches  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
The  map  of  the  world  has  been  really  studied  for  the  first 
time  by  a  hundred  million  people.  More  than  that,  millions 
have  become  acutely  conscious  for  the  first  time  since  they 
trudged  away  to  school  with  a  big  geography  under  their 
arm,  that  there  was  such  a  thing  as  a  map  of  the  world. 
Geography  has  suddenly  leaped  out  of  the  character  of  a 
text-book  for  the  grammar  grades  into  that  of  a  gripping 
romance.  To  the  average  man  a  few  years  ago  Bagdad  was 
in  the  Arabian  Nights — nowhere  else.  Jerusalem  had  its 
sole  existence  in  the  Bible.  He  could  not  tell  whether 
Ukraine  was  a  river  or  a  breakfast  food,  and,  more  than 
that,  he  did  not  care.  Multitudes  of  Americans  have  lived 
almost  as  remote  from  European  problems  as  the  Pequot 
Indians  before  the  Pilgrims  landed.    But  now  the  great  con- 


188    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

flagration  in  Europe  has  lighted  up  the  four  corners  of  the 
globe.  What  comes  into  our  dinner  table  depends  on  what 
happens  in  Russia  and  the  number  of  ships  in  South  Amer- 
ican ports.  The  map  of  the  world  is  replacing  the  map  of 
the  township  and  the  township  mind  is  bursting  its  bonds. 

Physical  contacts  have  helped  to  widen  the  horizon. 
The  gathering  of  millions  of  men  in  our  own  country  into 
great  cantonments  has  been  an  incalculable  educational  and 
social  force  in  the  removal  of  provincialism  and  mind-suffo- 
cating prejudice.  Letters  home  from  Americans  over  the 
sea,  in  contact  with  new  countries  and  new  races,  have 
pushed  out  the  walls  of  a  million  homes  until  a  large  part  of 
the  world  begins  to  be  visible  from  the  sitting  room  window. 
The  recent  beautiful  words  of  a  Canadian  soldier  throw  a 
vivid  light  on  the  process  of  thought  which  is  going  on  all 
over  North  America : 

''If  where  an  Englishman  is  buried  on  a  foreign  soil  is 
called  'a  little  bit  of  England,'  then  we  may  call  the  Ypres 
salient  a  mighty  bit  of  Canada.  If  anyone  were  to  inquire 
what  is  the  most  important  city  of  Canada,  we  might  answer 
unhesitatingly,  *  The  city  of  Ypres. '  The  hosts  of  our  young 
men  who  have  fallen  in  battles  round  that  city  have  hallowed 
the  name  for  all  Canadian  hearts,  and  rendered  the  place 
ours  in  the  deepest  sense.  Montreal,  and  Halifax,  and  Van- 
couver are  among  our  lesser  cities,  but  Ypres,  where  so 
many  of  our  brave  are  buried,  shall  remain  for  us  the  city 
of  our  everlasting  possessions."  ^ 

This  process  has  made  more  easy  the  task  of  spiritual- 
izing this  gigantic  lesson  in  geography.  That  is  just  what 
the  missionary  undertaking  is — spiritual  geography.  When 
a  man  has  learned  to  pronounce  Ypres  and  Prezmysl  (if  any 
such  exist)  and  Mesopotamia,  there  is  a  greater  chance  that 
he  will  be  able  to  pronounce  Chengtu  and  Benares  and  Sin- 
gapore and  realize  that  they  are  not  merely  dots  on  the  map 
in  some  forgotten  text-book,  but  seething  centers  of  life 


^  Arthur  H.  Chute,  North  American  Review,  March,  1918,  p.  227. 


A  WORLD  PROGRAM  181) 

which  have  a  vital  relation  to  him.  The  spots  on  the  map 
must  be  put  on  our  conscience,  and  there  never  was  a  more 
favorable  atmosphere  in  which  this  transfer  may  be  made 
than  now.  "When  the  thoughts  of  men  are  widened  by  the 
jDrocess  of  the  suns,  then  is  the  time  to  widen  the  endeavor 
of  the  Christian  Church. ' ' 

The  World  at  Our  Dinner  Table 

It  is  when  we  sit  down  at  our  dinner  table,  however,  that 
the  new  horizon  becomes  most  evident.  America  in  her  food 
conservation  campaign  has  been  keeping  a  world  boarding 
house,  and  the  process  has  high  spiritual  values.  New 
boards  have  been  put  in  the  table  to  lengthen  it  out  so  that 
our  Allies  and  the  hungry  peoples  of  the  earth  may  sit  down 
with  us,  and  strange  faces  gather  at  every  meal.  The  food- 
saving  regulations  are  in  effect  a  knock  at  the  door  at  the 
beginning  of  every  meal  and  the  government  saying  to  us, 
"Move  along  a  little  closer  at  the  table.  Here  are  six 
French  orphans  who  must  dine  with  you  to-day."  And 
when  in  a  thin,  weak  voice  they  ask,  "Please  pass  the 
sugar,"  we  pass  it,  even  though  we  have  only  one  spoonful, 
or  none  at  all,  for  our  coffee.  At  the  next  meal  it  is  four 
hearty  English  soldiers  whom  we  are  feeding  by  our  saving. 
They  have  been  doing  hard  work  and  need  meat  and  wheat, 
and  we  pass  it  to  them,  keeping  the  bran  muffins  for  our- 
selves. Multitudes  are  rising  up  at  these  demands  and 
throwing  open  the  door  to  these  hungry  guests  and  crying, 
"In  the  name  of  God,  welcome!"  The  United  States  is 
making  an  experiment  in  organized  sacrifice.  The  forces 
born  out  of  a  demand  for  food  as  a  universal  need  are  gen- 
erating new  values  in  society  which  may  be  eif  ective  in  turn- 
ing the  scale  to  victory.  They  will  be  effective  for  a  longer 
task  than  that  too,  for  they  are  the  fundamental  virtues 
necessary  to  the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  is  in- 
conceivable that  after  having  had  the  world  at  our  table  for 
years,  reminded  at  every  meal  of  the  world  fellowship  of 


190    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

need,  France's  need  and  Belgium's,  Poland's  and  Ar- 
menia's, as  well  as  our  own,  we  can  ever  again  sit  down 
in  the  little  dining  room  as  it  was  before,  and  shut  the  world 
from  our  thought.  America  has  already  appeared  in  a  new 
role  among  the  nations  as  the  Wheat  Bringer,  and  the  expe- 
rience is  preparing  her  in  a  real  way  for.  the  larger  task  to 
which  she  must  come — that  of  spreading  the  Bread  of  Life 
before  the  world  and  bidding  the  lame,  the  halt,  the  blind  of 
the  East  and  West  to  sit  down  at  the  great  democratic  feast 
of  God. 

Accomplishing  the  Task 

the  discovery  of  god 

The  discovery  of  a  world — a  world  so  needy  as  ours — 
is  a  terrible  thing  unless  there  goes  with  it  something  else, 
the  discovery  of  God.  That  is  the  center  of  the  Centenary 
undertaking — a  new  discovery  of  God.  It  is  not  money  pri- 
marily. Money  will  not  be  given  without  the  Spirit  of  God 
to  prompt  it ;  nor  can  it  be  used  fruitfully  without  the  Spirit 
of  God  to  direct.  The  new  ivorld-consciousness  must  he 
matched  by  a  new  God-consciousness.  It  is  a  vast  foreign 
missionary  program  and  is  paralleled  by  one  equally  great 
for  home  missions.  In  the  face  of  such  a  task,  without  God 
we  can  do  nothing.  That  is  the  chief  glory  of  the  task.  The 
tragedy  of  a  little  task  is  that  frequently  a  man  or  a  group  of 
men  can  accomplish  it  and  there  it  ends.  The  glory  of  a  big 
task  is  that  men  are  utterly  unable  to  accomplish  it  and  are 
thrown  back  on  God  in  utter  dependence.  That  brings  them 
into  contact  with  the  only  power  sufficient  for  getting  God 's 
work  done  in  the  world — the  fullness  of  God  himself.  It  is 
futile  for  us  to  find  again  the  world-horizon  of  Christ  if  we 
do  not  find  also  the  vantage  point  from  which  he  scanned  it, 
that  of  an  empowering  fellowship  with  God.  The  whole 
Centenary  task  of  which  every  other  aspect  is  an  expression 
is  to  increase  the  spiritual  energy  of  the  church  by  the  full- 
ness of  spiritual  life.  It  was  that  release  of  power  which 
was  always  in  Paul's  mind  when  he  thought  of  the  church 


A  WORLD  PROGRAM  191 

— *  *  The  church  which  is  his  body,  the  fullness  of  Him  that 
fillethall  in  all." 

THE   RESPONSE    OF    THE    INDIVIDUAL 

With  the  far  horizon  of  Christ  must  go  the  immediate 
focus  of  his  call  on  the  individual.  It  is  not  ''the  church" 
which  can  do  this  task;  it  is  no  mythical  "they"  who  can  do 
it.  It  is  ive  who  must  do  it.  It  is  I  who  must  do  it.  Christ 
lifted  up  his  eyes  afar  and  beheld  the  fields  white  unto  har- 
vest; but  he  also  always  looked  squarely  into  the  eyes  of  the 
individual  he  spoke  to,  and  flung  his  great  imperatives, 
Come,  Be,  Do,  and  Go,  into  the  heart  of  the  man  before  him. 
The  evangelization  of  the  tvhole  world  demands  the  ivhole 
church. 

This  truth  of  the  dependence  of  victory  upon  every 
man  has  been  greatly  sharpened  by  the  war.  If  the  war  has 
resulted  in  the  discovery  of  the  world  as  one,  it  has  made 
another  discovery  equally  great  at  the  other  end  of  the  scale 
— the  discovery  of  the  common  man.  It  is  not  too  much  to 
say  that  among  the  many  things  which  distinguish  this  war 
from  all  others,  one  is  the  emergence  of  the  common  man. 
The  strongest  weapon  in  the  hands  of  either  side  is  the 
capacity  to  starve.  Victory  depends  on  the  capacity  and 
willingness  of  the  whole  people  to  suffer  and  sacrifice.  It  is 
fought  by  the  individual  in  every  walk  of  life  rather  than 
generals  and  leaders  and  governments.  ' '  The  war  is  being 
fought  to-day  by  all  the  nations  in  the  most  solid  formation 
imaginable — men,  women,  and  children  all  roped  together 
after  the  fashion  of  the  Ancient  Cimbri  when  going  into 
battle."  1 

A  Militant  Faith 

Christ's  warfare  in  the  world  is  a  people's  warfare.  If 
the  Centenary  Program  is  to  mean  a  successful  epoch  in  that 
victory,  it  will  be  only  through  the  service  and  sacrifice  of 
every  disciple. 

'  Simeon  Strunsky,  Yale  Review,  October,  1917. 


192    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

It  means  that  the  militant  conceptions  of  our  faith  which 
run  all  through  the  New  Testament  shall  achieve  a  new 
dominion  over  our  lives.  ''The  army,"  says  the  first  of  the 
regulations  and  orders  for  the  British  army,  "is  composed 
of  those  who  have  undertaken  a  definite  liability  for  serv- 
ices." So  is  the  church.  That  liability  must  be  recognized 
by  more  than  the  comparatively  few.  ' '  Christ  also  loved  the 
church,  and  gave  himself  for  it ;  .  .  .  that  he  might  pre- 
sent it  to  himself  a  glorious  church,  not  having  spot,  or 
wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing."  Christ's  church  must  not  be 
a  church  in  which  men  enlist  for  a  lifelong  warfare,  and  then 
pass  into  a  permanent  reserve  which  is  never  called  up  for 
active  service.  Its  bases  must  not  be  thronged  with  those 
who  wear  its  uniform  but  refuse  to  go  up  into  the  line.  The 
call  of  the  hour  is  for  the  resources  of  the  whole  church, 
multiplied  by  a  new  energizing  of  God,  to  be  lined  up  to  the 
whole  task  of  the  Kingdom. 

A  NEW  REALITY  IN"  RELIGION 

A  new  reality  in  our  religion  must  be  our  primary  pre- 
paration to  meet  the  day.    We  cannot  be 

"Light  half -believers  in  our  casual  creeds 
Who  never  deeply  felt  or  clearly  willed," 

and  be  what  our  own  time  demands  of  us  as  followers  of 
Christ.  The  only  method  of  growth  that  the  kingdom  of 
Christ  has  ever  known  has  been  by  the  overflow  of  an 
abounding  life.  And  as  it  was  in  the  beginning  it  is  now 
and  ever  shall  be.  To  nourish  and  sustain  that  new  reality 
of  faith,  the  Centenary  Movement  calls  for  a  new  practice 
of  prayer.  To  express  that  reality  it  calls  for  a  new  practice 
of  stewardship. 

PRAYER 

The  call  is  for  a  world-fellowship  of  intercession 
throughout  the  church.  It  will  mean  for  many  entirely  new 
adventures  in  prayer,  and  prayer  is  an  adventure — the  most 


A  WORLD  PROGRAM  19n 

rewarding  and  the  most  enabling  adventure  in  life.  Prayer 
is  not  saying  religious  words  with  our  eyes  shut  and  a  ter- 
minal ''Amen"  attached.  It  is  a  venturing  forth  of  the 
soul  like  the  voyage  of  Columbus  across  a  great  unchartered 
deep.  And  as  the  evidence  that  it  really  finds  the  Father 
that  it  seeks,  it  brings  back  the  marvelous  treasure  of  a 
changed  life  and  a  reenf orced  might  for  service.  We  read  in 
the  Gospels  that  when  Jesus  looked  out  over  the  whitened 
fields  ready  for  harvest,  the  first  thing  he  said  was, 
''Pray."  His  order  must  be  ours.  "It  is  in  agonizing  in- 
tercession that  the  real  conflict  in  our  time  is  to  be  won. 
Rivers  of  vitality  have  their  rise  in  souls  that  are  on  their 
knees.  The  deep  and  mighty  prayers  of  the  church  are  the 
birth  pangs  of  the  race. ' '  ^ 

STEWAKDSHIP 

Stewardship  is  organized  devotion.  It  must  be  a  stew- 
ardship of  life — holding  our  personality  and  all  its  powers 
as  a  trust.  For  many  it  will  mean  a  dedication  of  life  to  spe- 
cific service.  The  church  needs  eighteen  hundred  new  men 
every  year  to  keep  her  pulpits  adequately  manned.  The 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  has  declared  the  need  of  five 
hundred  new  missionaries  every  year  to  carry  out  the  Cen- 
tenary Program ;  and  the  Home  Board  requires  no  less.  It 
is  a  call  for  the  strong,  daring  leaders.  ' '  Send  forth  the  best 
ye  breed"  is  the  world's  asking. 

It  must  be  a  stewardship  of  money — a  definitely 
planned  and  scanned  allotment  of  a  sacrificial  proportion 
of  money  regularly  given  to  God.  We  must  bear  in  our 
ledger,  in  our  cash  book,  "the  marks  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 

The  Available  Resources 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  easily  able  to  make 
the  offering  required  to  meet  the  financial  asking  of  the  total 
world  Program  of  Foreign  and  Home  Missions.    The  budget 

'  J.  H,  Jowett,  The  Church  in  Time  of  War,  p.  122. 


194    CHEISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

of  forty  million  dollars  in  five  years  for  foreign  missions 
would  require  an  average  iveekly  ojfering  of  only  four  and 
one  half  cents  per  member!  The  present  combined  offering 
of  cliurclies  and  Sunday  schools  is  an  average  of  less  than 
half  a  cent  a  week  per  member !  The  total  of  eighty  millions 
of  dollars  for  both  Home  and  Foreign  Mission  program  can 
be  raised  by  an  average  gift  of  nine  cents  per  member  each 
week.  Surely  this  is  not  a  staggering  amount !  The  chief 
difficulty  to  be  overcome  is  that  at  present  the  total  offering 
for  all  benevolences  comes  from  a  small  per  cent  of  the  mem- 
bershiiD. 

*'In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens  and  the 
earth."  God  is  still  creating.  The  loom  of  Providence  is 
moving  swiftly.  It  took  one  hundred  years  of  missionary 
effort  to  win  the  first  million  converts  to  Protestant  Chris- 
tianity. It  took  twelve  to  win  the  second.  It  took  six  to  win 
the  third.  In  the  melting  and  reshaping  world  to-day  the 
movement  of  the  Kingdom  is  accelerated.  Never  was  the 
creative  hand  of  God  more  clearly  visible  than  in  this  hour. 
i|  What  more  glorious  destiny  could  there  be  for  anyone  than 
to  become  in  deed  and  truth  a  fellow  worker,  a  fellow  creator 
of  the  new  world  he  is  shaping? 

"Only  have  vision  and  bold  enterprise, 
No  task  too  great  for  men  of  unsealed  eyes. 
The  future  stands  with  outstretched  hands ; 
Press  on  and  claim  its  high  supremacies." 


QUESTIONS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION 
CHAPTER  I 

1.  How  would  you  answer  the  contention  that  the  war 
has  shown  the  failure  of  Christianity  ? 

2.  Do  you  believe  that  war  can  be  destroyed  by  in- 
crease of  education,  science,  commerce,  or  law!  Give  rea- 
sons for  your  answer. 

3.  Do  you  think  that  Christian  principles,  if  they  were 
allowed  free  action,  could  prevent  war  I    What  principles  ? 

4.  In  what  ways  do  Christian  missions  make  for 
peace  1    Can  you  give  any  examples  1 

5.  In  what  ways  Jias  the  war  shown  the  unity  and  in- 
terdependence of  the  world  I 

6.  What  effects  of  the  war  in  changing  conditions  of 
life  here  in  the  United  States  have  come  under  your  obser- 
vation? 

7.  How  would  you  define  ' '  democracy ' '  ?  Why  do  you 
consider  it  worth  fighting  for? 

8.  A¥hat  teachings  of  Jesus  have  been  effective  in  pro- 
moting democracy  1    Why  have  they  been  sol 

9.  What  is  the  difference  between  autocracy  and  de- 
mocracy! Which  is  the  nearer  to  Christian  principles! 
Why! 

10.  What  different  institutions  or  forces  have  made 
democracy  and  freedom  permanent  in  the  United  States ! 

11.  What  are  the  imperfections  of  democracy  in  the 
United  States !    How  may  they  be  corrected! 

12.  What  is  the  effect  of  a  democracy  in  a  country 
where  people  are  not  ready  for  it! 

13.  What  does  a  nation  need  in  order  to  be  fitted  for 
democracy! 

14.  How  does  Christianity  supply  those  needs! 

15.  What  is  meant  by  a  ''plastic"  condition  in  the  life 

195 


196    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

of  a  nation?    What  evidences  are  there  in  different  coun- 
tries of  such  conditions  now? 

16.  Why  is  there  a  better  opportunity  for  the  extension 
of  Christianity  now  than  a  generation  from  now  ? 

17.  In  what  way  would  you  show  that  missions  are  a 
completion  of  the  nation 's  task  in  the  war  ? 


CHAPTER  n 

Latin  America 

1.  What  difference  in  ideals  and  purposes  was  there 
between  the  early  settlers  of  North  and  South  America? 
What  effect  did  these  differences  have  on  the  development 
of  the  two  continents  ? 

2.  What  reasons  are  there  for  expecting  an  immense 
immigration  to  South  America  in  this  century? 

3.  Wliat  are  the  reasons  for  the  comparative  neglect 
of  South  America  by  the  United  States. 

4.  What  are  the  causes  of  the  present  new  interest?  In 
what  ways  has  that  interest  been  expressed? 

5.  What  has  been  the  effect  of  the  large  illiteracy  on 
the  democracy  of  South  America? 

6.  What  would  you  say  to  the  contention  that  South 
America  is  a  Roman  Catholic  continent  and  Protestants 
ought  to  keep  out  of  it? 

7.  What  are  some  of  the  characteristics  of  Roman 
Catholicism  in  South  America?  How  does  it  differ  from 
the  Catholic  Church  as  we  know  it  in  the  United  States  ? 

8.  What  are  the  reasons  for  the  prevalence  of  agnosti- 
cism in  South  America  ? 

9.  Why  does  the  United  States  have  a  peculiar  respon- 
sibility for  the  welfare  of  South  America  ? 

10.  How  can  it  best  meet  that  responsibility? 

11.  What  conditions  seem  to  you  to  promise  most  suc- 
cess to  Christian  missions  in  South  America  now  ? 

12.  Mexico  is  one  of  the  richest  lands  in  the  world, 


QUESTIONS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION  197 

probably  the  very  richest  in  the  world  in  proportion  to  its 
population.    Why  are  the  majority  of  the  people  so  poor? 

13.  What  do  you  consider  the  good  results  of  the  Mex- 
ican revolution? 

14.  Why  is  it  a  matter  of  intense  importance  to  the 
United  States  what  Mexico  becomes  ? 

15.  How  does  Mexico  stand  in  reference  to  the  neces- 
sary conditions  of  a  safe  democracy  discussed  in  Chapter  I  ? 

16.  What  are  the  hopeful  conditions  for  the  develop- 
ment of  a  strong  Protestant  Christianity  in  Mexico? 

17.  How  would  the  Centenary  Program  of  Methodism 
for  Latin  America  affect  the  prospects  of  democracy  there? 


CHAPTER  III 
China 

1.  How  would  you  compare  the  probability  of  winning 
China  to  Christianity  to  the  probability  of  the  early  church's 
winning  the  Roman  empire !  Which  do  you  think  the  harder 
task?    Why  do  you  think  so? 

2.  Compare  the  Renaissance,  or  Revival  of  Learning, 
in  Europe  at  the  end  of  the  Middle  Ages  with  the  awaken- 
ing in  China. 

3.  W^hat  were  the  causes  of  the  revolution  by  which 
China  became  a  republic?  What  part  had  Christian  mis- 
sions in  it? 

4.  WTiy  does  the  fact  that  China  is  a  republic  increase 
the  obligation  at  this  time  to  strengthen  the  Christian 
Church  there? 

5.  In  what  necessities  of  a  strong  and  safe  democracy 
is  China  weak  or  lacking  entirely? 

6.  How  does  the  Centenary  Program  of  Methodism 
aim  to  strengthen  these  deficiences  ? 

7.  WTiy  is  the  opportunity  for  the  Christianization  of 
China  one  that  will  not  wait  for  a  long  period  of  years? 
What  elements  in  the  present  opportunity  are  transient? 

8.  What  advantages  of  popularity  do  missionaries  en- 


198    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

joy  to-day  in  China?    What  are  the  reasons  for  it?    Will  it 
always  be  so  ? 

9.  Why  is  the  new  feeling  of  patriotism  an  advantage 
to  Christianity?    How  may  it  possibly  become  an  obstacle? 

10.  What  will  be  the  future  character  of  China  if  it 
does  not  become  a  Christian  nation?  What  effect  would 
such  a  result  have  on  the  peace  and  moral  progress  of  the 
world? 

11.  What  are  some  of  the  evil  effects  which  contact 
with  Western  civilization  has  had  on  China  ? 

12.  Which  do  you  regard  as  the  harder  task — the  abo- 
lition of  opium  in  China  or  the  prohibition  of  liquor  in  the 
United  States? 

13.  What  reasons  are  there  favorable  to  the  influence 
of  the  United  States  in  educational  and  spiritual  influence 
in  China? 

14.  What  features  of  China's  history  make  educa- 
tion of  supreme  importance  ? 

15.  What  main  lines  of  service  are  planned  in  the  Cen- 
tenary Program  for  China?  Which  one  would  you  prefer 
to  engage  in? 

16.  What  are  the  particular  possibilities  of  influence  in 
the  five  university  centers  involved  in  the  Centenary  Pro- 
gram? 

17.  If  China's  faith  in  her  old  religions  is  destroyed 
and  Christianity  is  not  put  in  their  place,  will  she  be  as 
well  off  as  before  ? 

18.  What  are  the  reasons  why  many  people  believe 
China  may  be  made  a  Christian  nation  within  a  century  ? 


CHAPTER  IV 

India 

1.  Which  is  more  significant  for  the  future  of  Chris- 
tianity in  the  Orient — the  mass  movement  in  India  or  the 
turning  to  Christ  of  the  educated  classes  in  China?    Why? 


QUESTIONS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION  199 

2.  Which  do  you  think  is  the  greatest  sorrow,  that  of 
a  widow  in  America  or  in  India?    Why? 

3.  In  which  foreign  country  do  you  think  the  worst 
degradation  of  womanhood  prevails  1    Wliy  do  you  think  so  I 

4.  What  will  be  the  result  if  the  masses  who  are  com- 
ing into  the  Christian  Church  in  India  through  the  mass 
movement  are  not  given  Christian  training  and  education? 

5.  What  will  be  the  effects  if  those  now  waiting  for 
baptism  are  permanently  refused  through  lack  of  mission- 
aries and  teachers? 

6.  Is  India  ready  for  independent  self-government 
now?  How  can  Christian  missions  prepare  the  way  for 
self-government? 

7.  AVliat  would  be  some  of  the  changes  in  the  life  of  an 
American  city  if  the  caste  system  prevailed  here? 

8.  How  does  the  Christian  gospel  promote  democracy? 

9.  What  is  the  effect  of  the  doctrine  of  the  brotherhood 
of  man  on  the  caste  system? 

10.  Wliy  would  complete  democratic  government  be 
unsafe  in  India  to-day? 

11.  How  does  the  caste  system  of  India  make  mass 
movements  possible? 

12.  What  are  some  of  the  reasons  for  the  mass  move- 
ment in  India  ? 


CHAPTER  V 
Africa 

1.  What  relation  has  Africa  to  the  future  peace  of  the 
world  ? 

2.  Why  is  it  harder  to  win  the  native  Africans  from 
Mohammedanism  to  Christianity  than  to  win  them  directly 
from  paganism! 

3.  What  have  been  the  good  results  of  European  rule 
in  Africa  1    What  have  been  the  evil  results  ? 

4.  What  are  some  reasons  for  the  successful  advance 
of  Mohammedanism  among  the  native  Africans  ? 


200    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

5.  "WTiat  are  the  evil  results  of  the  Mohammedan  faith? 

6.  What  answer  would  you  make  to  the  common  state- 
ment that  Mohammedanism  is  the  religion  best  suited  to  the 
African  native  ? 

7.  If  you  were  to  go  as  a  missionary  to  some  one  of  the 
great  fields  would  you  choose  Africa  ?  Give  reasons  for  your 
answer. 

8.  „  How  does  the  collapse  of  the  political  power  of 
Islam  favorably  affect  the  missionary  opportunity  in 
Africa? 

9.  What  would  you  consider  to  be  a  truly  Christian 
attitude  in  the  government  of  African  colonies  by  European 
countries  I 

10.  What  have  been  some  of  the  reasons  which  have 
made  the  evangelization  of  Africa  a  slower  process  than  in 
some  other  continents  ? 


CHAPTER  VI 

Japan,  the  Philippines,  and  Malaysia 

1.  What  are  the  particular  reasons  why  the  future  of 
Christianity  in  the  Orient  depends  so  much  on  its  success  in 
Japan? 

2.  How  does  the  Pacific  Ocean  correspond  to  the  Medi- 
terranean Sea  in  the  life  of  the  world  in  the  beginning  of  the 
Christian  era? 

3.  In  what  ways  do  you  think  the  friendship  between 
Japan  and  the  United  States  can  be  strengthened  ? 

4.  What  effect  do  you  think  the  war  is  having  on  our 
friendship  with  Japan? 

5.  What  are  the  moral  dangers  to  which  Japan  is  ex- 
posed and  how  can  Christianity  meet  them? 

6.  Show  on  the  map  the  strategic  location  of  Korea 
with  reference  to  the  through  routes  of  travel  from  Europe 
to  Asia. 


QUESTIONS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION  201 

7.  "WTiat  are  some  of  the  benefits  which  American  occu- 
pation of  the  Philippines  has  brought  to  the  people  ? 

8.  Do  you  think  it  wise  to  grant  immediate  independ- 
ence to  the  Filipinos  f    Why  do  you  think  as  you  do  ? 

9.  What  would  be  the  effect  on  the  future  prosj^ects  of 
Christianity  in  Asia  of  a  failure  to  win  the  Filipinos? 

10.  How  has  the  American  government  in  the  Philip- 
pines affected  the  democratic  movement  in  Asia  1 

11.  What  reasons  are  there  for  the  emigration  of 
Chinese  to  Malaysia? 

12.  Wliat  are  the  advantages  for  missionary  influence 
in  a  country  being  newly  settled  I 

13.  Why  is  Singapore  so  influential  a  point  with  refer- 
ence to  the  rest  of  Asia  ? 

14.  What  effect  would  the  extension  of  Christianity 
among  the  Chinese  of  Malaysia  have  on  the  Christian  enter- 
prise in  China  itself? 


CHAPTER  VII 
Europe 

1.  ^\Tiat  are  some  of  the  handicaps  which  a  state-con- 
trolled church  has  in  the  proclamation  of  a  full  and  free 
gospel  ? 

2.  What  are  the  greatest  obstacles  to  a  permanent 
peace  in  Europe?  How  would  the  extension  of  a  vital 
Christianity  affect  these  obstacles? 

3.  "Wliat  are  some  of  the  reasons  for  the  failure  of  the 
Russian  Revolution  to  establish  a  strong,  safe  government? 

4.  In  what  ways  do  you  think  the  spiritual  task  of  re- 
conciliation after  the  war  may  be  performed?  What  fits  the 
Methodism  of  Europe  for  sharing  in  that  work? 

5.  ^Tiat  is  the  necessity  of  having  a  vital  spiritual 
church  in  Germany  after  the  war? 

6.  AMiat  characteristics  of  the  Russian  people  seem  to 
promise  hope  for  a  future  gi'eat  nation? 


202    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 

7.  What  have  been  the  effects  on  the  Russian  people 
of  the  long  tyranny  of  the  Tsars  ? 

8.  What  has  been  the  character  of  the  Russian  Ortho- 
dox Church? 

9.  What  are  the  chief  religious  needs  of  Russia,  to 
strengthen  it  for  success  in  democratic  government! 

10.  What  changes  are  being  brought  about  by  the 
revolution  in  the  Russian  Church ! 

11.  How  can  Protestant  missions  influence  this  reli- 
gious situation? 

12.  What  reciprocal  effect  would  a  large  extension  of 
Protestant  Christianity  in  Italy  have  on  the  United  States? 

13.  What  effect  would  it  have  on  the  democracy  of 
Italy? 

CHAPTER  VIII 

1.  What  are  some  of  the  results  of  the  first  century  of 
Methodist  missions?  How  has  this  effort  in  foreign  lands 
affected  the  growth  and  life  of  the  church  at  home  ? 

2.  Why  was  the  Methodist  Revival  in  England,  under 
the  leadership  of  John  Wesley  and  Whitefield  and  others,  an 
influence  in  bettering  social  conditions  and  securing  greater 
political  freedom? 

3.  What  is  meant  by  "a  moral  equivalent  for  war"? 
In  what  ways  can  the  missionary  enterprise  of  Christianity 
appeal  to  the  same  virtues  which  are  developed  by  war? 
Why  has  it  not  done  so  more  in  the  past? 

4.  What  do  you  think  are  the  principal  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  making  possible  an  advanced  missionary  program 
at  the  i^resent  time? 

5.  What  are  the  characteristics  of  this  time  which  are 
favorable  to  an  increased  interest  in  aggressive  foreign 
missions  ? 

6.  What  would  you  say  to  a  man  who  argues,  *'We 
ought  not  to  think  of  or  plan  fo^  anything  except  the  war"? 

7.  What  would  you  say  to  a  man  who  says,  ''I  give  all 


QUESTIONS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION  203 

my  contributions  to  the  Red  Cross ;  I  haven't  a  cent  for  mis- 
sions"? 

8.  What  evidences  can  you  give  out  of  personal  expe- 
rience of  the  increase  of  men's  knowledge  and  interest  in 
the  rest  of  the  world  due  to  the  war?  How  much  geog- 
raphy have  you  learned  from  the  war  f 

9.  How  do  you  explain  the  fact  that  war  times  have 
always  been  times  of  increased  missionary  activity  and  giv- 
ing? 

10.  Why  is  the  United  States  to-day  in  a  favorable 
position  for  world  spiritual  influence?  Would  it  have  had 
such  a  position  if  it  had  stayed  out  of  the  war? 

11.  What  is  the  relation  of  prayer  to  the  world  pro- 
gram of  Christianity? 

12.  What  is  the  meaning  of  ' '  stewardship ' '  ? 

13.  A^Tiat  do  you  think  constitutes  a  ' '  call ' '  for  Chris- 
tian service  abroad  or  at  home? 

14.  How  can  the  sympathies  and  generosity  which  the 
war  has  aroused  be  conserved  after  the  war  is  over? 

15.  What  appear  to  you  the  strongest  reasons  for  a 
thorough  mobilization  of  Methodism  for  her  world  cam- 
paign? 


204    CHRISTIAN  CRUSADE  FOR  DEMOCRACY 


SUGGESTIONS  FOE  COLLATEEAL  EEADINQ 

The  Call  of  a  World  Task.    By  F.  Lovell  Murray. 

The  Soul  of  Democracy.    By  Edward  Howard  Griggs. 

The  Churches  of  Christ  in  War  Time.    Edited  by  C.  S.  Macfarland. 

South  American  Neighbors.    By  Homer  C.  Stuntz. 

The  Eenaissance  of  Latin  America.    By  Harlan  P.  Beach. 

The  Changing  Chinese.    By  Edward  A.  Eoss. 

China :  An  Interpretation.    By  James  W.  Bashf ord. 

The  New  Era  in  Asia.    By  Sherwood  Eddy. 

The  Lure  of  Africa.    Cornelius  H.  Patton. 

India,  Malaysia,  and  the  Philippines.    W.  F.  Oldham. 

Since  this  course  deals  with  the  developments  and  movements  of 
the  hour,  the  best  reference  material  will  be  found  in  monthly  periodi- 
cals, particularly  the  World  Outlook  and  the  Missionary  Eeview  of  the 
World  and  the  weekly  Christian  Advocates. 

The  above  books  may  be  obtained  from  the  publishers  of  this 
volume. 

THE  MISSIONAEY  CENTENAEY 
Booklets  and  Folders  of  Helpful  Information 

The  Place  of  Prayer  in  God's  Plan  of  World  Conquest.    By  James  M. 

Campbell.    5  cents. 
Preparing  for  Tomorrow.     Free. 

The  Next  Hundred  Years.    By  W.  E.  Doughty.    Free. 
The  Centenary  World  Program:    What  It  Is  and  What  It  Proposes. 

Free. 
Foreign  Missions  and  World  Democracy.     10  cents. 
Why  Launch  a  World  Program  in  War  Times.    By  John  E.  Mott.    Free. 

All  the  above  will  be  sent  on  receipt  of  15  cents. 

Address,  Joint  Centenary  Committee,  111  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York, 
N.  Y. 


TO    UNDERSTAND   WHAT 
WORLD  DEMOCRACY  MEANS 

You  must  have  a 

WORLD   OUTLOOK 

To  get  it,  send  20  cents  for  a  single  copy  or 

$  L50  for  a  year's  subscription  to  the  publishers, 

I  50  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 


if 


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you  have  not  yet  seen  this  magazine  which  gives  you  in 
the  most  attractive  form  possible,  lively,  terse  accounts 
of  the  fascinating  changes  going  on  in  the  Orient,  Africa, 
South  America,  the  United  States,  it  will  pay  you  to  send 
for  a  sample  copy  at  once. 


if 


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you  have  seen  it  and  realized  how  it  helps  you  through 
its  unexcelled  pictorial  display  and  authoritative  articles 
to  understand  the  rest  of  the  world  in  a  human  intimate 
fashion,  you  will  know  that  you  cannot  afford  to  be 
without  it  during  these  coming  years. 

WORLD  OUTLOOK  will  furnish  you  the 
most  helpful  collateral  reading  you  can  do  in 
connection  with  the  text  book  on  the  "Christian 
Crusade  for  World  Democracy."  It  will  give 
you  just  the  background  and  colorful  incident  to 
make  the  text  doubly  alive. 

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